Through Her Eyes
by Gooniegirl3333
Summary: READ IF YOU DARE! BEFORE I GOT GOOD! With a traumatic experience behind him, Ryan Wolfe is ready and willing to come back to work.  At least that's what he keeps telling everyone, and with a case like this, he probably should have stayed home.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello again! Here we are with another installment to my OC/Ryan story! This takes place no more than a week after the end of "Believe Me." For those who are just now joining, you might want to read "Believe Me" first. I had a feeling not many of you really enjoyed the ending of the last story (lack of reviews was the dead giveaway, no pun intended.) But never fear because not is all as it seems. **

ENJOY! READ/REVIEW...please?

**Disclaimer:** I own none of it, darn it...except for Reagan and all other OCs, =).

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The bright, early sun rays of Miami glistened through the sport car's windows as Trisha rapidly made her way down the busy streets towards Dade University. To the right of her lay her books for sociology class and sporadic pages peeking out a notebook. The college student joyfully blared her music.

"No, I won't, oh oh, oh oh. Shout it out, scream it out, let me here you go," she resonated confidently to the song, her head bopping to the beat. "Baby, I like it!" she shouted with her left hand sailing out of the driver's side window. A sudden ring from the student's cellphone trilled, giving Trisha the cue to slightly turn down her music to answer.

"Yo!" An annoyed voice barked on the other side of the call. "Tiffany! I'm on my way, seriously!" She rolled her eyes at her friend's complaint. "Hey, it's not my fault! These people just don't know how to drive! And you know I had to pick up some Starbucks. I bought you a drink!" Trisha chuckled at Tiffany's squeal. "Ha, I knew you'd like that. Anyway, just tell the group to start the session without me."

The group of cars came to a stop at the street light, Trisha's car restlessly waiting behind a white van.

"Ugh, come on! No, not you," Trisha reassured into the phone. "I got behind a van going the speed limit. Yeah, stupid red light."

A bloody hand smacked itself against the back window of the van, the fingers trembling.

"Oh my God!" she screamed. "Uh, Tiffany, I have to let you go!" Trisha instantly dialed 911.

"What's your emergency?"

"Yes, this is Trisha Belford. I'm calling from my car, and... oh my God. This van, uh-a hand, a bloody hand. There's someone injured in the van! " Trisha rambled on.

"Ma-am, you are going to have to calm down and let me know what's going on. Where are you located right now?"

"Can't you trace my coordinates or something? I'm-uh-on my way to the Miami Public Library, just a few streets away from the Dade University campus." Trisha's eyes widened as the van turned off the road, heading for the Glades. "Oh, no. He's leaving the city! I'm gonna follow him while you trace my call."

"Ms. Belford, that wouldn't be a smart choice. Just let me know the license plate number and we will track the van that way."

"By then the person in the back will be dead!" Trisha shouted to the operator. _I gotta 'pay it forward'_, Trisha thought to herself, recalling yesterday's lecture in sociology. "Seriously, lady, just hurry!"

Silence from the other end startled her.

"Hello? Oh, God... Hello?" Trisha looked down at her cell phone, realizing the battery had just died. Quickly reaching for her glove compartment, still keeping her eyes on the van, Trisha pulled out her car charger and plugged in her phone. Soon, the van pulled into a patch of trees and up to a broken down shack. Trisha managed to hide her car far enough away, her heart beating rapidly, her palms in a nervous sweat.

"Ok," she said to herself, "be brave...for the…victim." Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her slightly charged cell phone and quietly made her way towards the van.

Trisha carefully opened her car door, leaving it open as to not make a sound and inched her way towards the van. She looked continuously around for the driver but saw no one and assumed he or she must have entered the shack by now. Leaves crunched beneath her feet causing her to twinge with every step.

Finally, she had reached the back of the van and grabbed for the handle. Oddly, it was unlocked, but Trisha pushed the feeling away, deciding it was more fright than her own conscience. The back door to the van creaked as it swung open and revealed a pale young woman, no older than Trisha herself.

"Miss?" she whispered. Trisha noticed the girl's abdomen smeared with blood, obviously from stab wounds. The girl moaned quietly. "Ma'am? Okay, I'm going to get you outta here, k?" Trisha reached for her phone once more as she searched around for the culprit and dialed 911 again.

"What's your emergency?" asked the operator.

"Hi, this is Trisha Belford again. I don't have a lot of power left to my phone," she whispered. "I'm here with a woman. She's hurt really bad, there's lots of blood. Please, GPS this phone. I don't know how long before—"

"What the hell?" a voice boomed from behind her.

"Ma'am?" voiced the operator. Dead silence.

* * *

Walter Simmons analyzed the dead body, careful not to lose his lunch. Of the time he had been with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, Walter had seen a lot, but nothing compared to this massacre. Next to the tall man was Natalia Boa Vista who instantly noticed his queasy status.

"If you're having a hard time, I can process the scene myself, Walter," Natalia offered, though she contained a hint of giggles. Walter shook his head in defense.

"No, I'm alright. Swear." Walter gulped once more before snapping a few pictures. He sighed in relief once he noticed Dr. Loman approaching. _Finally_, Walter thought, _take the body away so I can do my job._

"Good morning, lady and gentleman!" Loman snapped cheerfully. "Let's see what we got here." The doctor paused before crouching down, his face showing confusion. "Why is there a sheet over the face?"

"The body was like this when we got here," Natalia replied. Slowly, Dr. Loman reached down to remove the sheet from the female's face. The three instantly cringed at the revelation.

"What do we have, Doctor?" asked Horatio Caine as he paced slowly towards the group and gently removed his sunglasses.

"Well, multiple stab wounds to the abdomen are evident. May be the possible COD." Dr. Loman became hesitant to mention the rest. Horatio noticed his uncertainty and stooped down to get a better view of the victim.

"Are those-?" Horatio became slightly speechless as Loman nodded his head and scowled his face.

"Nails—through the eyes. Although," Loman began to point out, "there is no blood around the entries suggesting that it was post-mortem." Horatio shook his head in disgust.

"Do we know if this is the 911 caller?" Horatio asked, now standing up. Natalia began rummaging through the victims clothes to hopefully find an I.D.

"Ah! We're in luck," she proclaimed holding up the girl's drivers license. "Name is Michelle Newbanks."

"H, the caller's name was Trisha Belford," Walter stated.

"Walter, call everyone in. We're going to need as many hands on deck. This just went from a murder to a kidnapping," Horatio announced as he threw his sunglasses back on and flew from the scene.

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**Like? Don't like? Give me your criticism!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Welcome back! For those who reviewed, thank you so much. It means a lot to me, =).

Oh, if you were wondering, I got the idea of Chapter 1 when I was driving to school and saw a white van in front of me. Sick, I know.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs... and oreos if you have them... =).

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Chapter 2

_"Have you been to see her body yet?" Natalia pressed._

_"No. I keep getting a call from the coroner to come so he can release the body, but I don't know." Ryan shyly turned away._

_"Listen, Ryan. You didn't have a chance to say goodbye to her, not really at least. If you don't go, you'll regret it."_

_"Come on, guys! Everyone is waiting!" shouted Walter. "Even Tripp and Horatio!" Calleigh, Eric, and Walter didn't press the matter, knowing eventually the two would bring them in. Though, neither of them could help but smile childishly, Calleigh giggling under her breath._

_Everyone walked towards the elevator, except for Ryan and Natalia who took the stairs, arm in arm. Yeah, he was glad to be back._

Ryan rolled his eyes at that memory. The moment was great, but afterwards? Not so great. He couldn't understand how hard it was to get everyone to believe his he was fine. IA, Horatio, the psychiatrist, and the team were relieved beyond thought that Ryan didn't quit but still insisted he stay true to policy and "seek help" for Reagan's death.

_"Help"? Yeah, right. What did they think I was going to do... gamble again?_

He couldn't just give up everything he worked hard for. To please the masses, and Natalia, Ryan took off a couple of days for "bereavement", which was proving to be hard in itself.

For now, Ryan sat at the table in his kitchen, thinking about the funeral he would have to attend, the family he'd be forced to see again, itching to be anywhere but there.

A blank paper in a notebook lay silent in front of him, the words "Eulogy" written on the top. Ryan continuously tapped the pencil held in his left hand, words at a loss. His mind wandered again, this time back to the day at the coroner's office.

"_Uh, hello?" Ryan shouted into the cold, steel coroner's office._

"_CSI Wolfe?" a feminine voice from behind Ryan startled him. "How are you?" It was Dr. Mercier, the night shift M.E. from the lab._

"_Dr.? I didn't know you work here." Ryan's statement was more of concern for his privacy than of confusion. It was bad enough he had to officially identify his sister's body so he could take her back to Boston. Now he was going to have to share this moment with someone from work? _

"_The main coroner had a wedding to attend and asked me to fill," Mercier chuckled a bit. "I guess you need to go with the living sometimes, right? So, what brings you here today? Not a murder I hope."_

"_My sister," Ryan stated under his breath._

"_Your sister? Does she work here?"_

"_No, my—my sister's body is here." Ryan and the doctor stared blankly at each other._

"_Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I had no idea."_

"_Don't worry about it. Though, I half expected gossip about it to get to the morgue eventually," Ryan joked half-heartedly._

"_Gossip does get around, but I usually excuse myself from the conversation." The two smiled. "Let's find your sister, shall we?" Both walked toward the wall that encompassed the bodies and up to the label that read "Wolfe, Reagan." "Here we are," Mercier mentioned as she pulled out the drawer. "Is this her?"_

_Ryan sighed as he held in a sudden bolt of tears dwelling up. He nodded at the doctor before noticing something of concern. The sheet covering the body was low enough for Ryan to see the tops of Reagan's arms._

"_Excuse me, Doctor? Can you tell me what that is?" Ryan pointed to old wounds on Reagan's arms as Mercier walked around._

"_Those look like pre-mortem," she proclaimed._

Ringing from Ryan's phone broke his daze. He shook head and looked down at the piece of paper. Still nothing. Hesitation set in before he picked up his phone.

"Wolfe here." A smile emerged from him. "Hi, how are you?"

"That question is really for you," Natalia said.

"I'm fine," Ryan chuckled, hoping his light demeanor would persuade her. "How's everything going on at the lab? Any new cases?"

"Uh, well," Natalia began. "I've got a heavy work load, but let's not talk about work. So, when are you flying out to Boston?"

"In a couple of days, and why are you changing the subject?"

"No reason, it's just that we shouldn't have to talk about work all the time, that's all." Natalia was determined not to let Ryan find out about their latest case. Unbeknownst to her, Ryan's television was parading the case of the kidnapping. The gears in his head began to turn.

"Are you short of staff? Because I could come down to help out."

"No, Ryan it's okay. Really, we have it covered," Natalia pleaded.

"I'll be right down," Ryan exclaimed as he grabbed the notebook from the kitchen table.

"No, Ryan! Ryan?" but it was too late. Natalia looked down at her ended call, silently cursing to herself.

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**Oh, silly Ryan! Can't stay away from the lab for too long, =).**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**... =), helloooo. :: looks down and swings side to side bashfully :: These reviews make me uber happy, and for that you get another update!

Also, don't be afraid to let me know what you wanna see happen!

And continue those reviews, thank ya!

**Disclaimer**: I own CSI: Miami...no lie. Okay, so I lie, but what would happen if I said I _did _own the show? Would CBS hunt me down?

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Chapter 3

Natalia paced back and forth between the spaces of the Layout lab grinding her teeth nervously. _Why does he have to be so stubborn?_ she thought. The eyes of each CSI occupying the lab watched her carefully.

"Geez, Natalia," Walter voiced, "calm down."

"How can I calm down? Ryan stopped answering his phone, and he really shouldn't be coming down to help on this case." Natalia stopped to rest her hands on the elongated glass table in the center of the room.

"And why not?" Walter questioned. An awkward silence filled the air as eyes now directed their attention to his curious question.

"Ryan never told you?" Calleigh asked inquisitively.

"Told me what?" he retorted. The group sighed before Eric replayed the memory.

"A couple of years ago, Wolfe was shot at a crime scene...a nail to the eye to be more specific."

Just then, the bell from the elevator dinged signifying an arrival. Natalia held her breath hoping it wasn't Ryan. Much to her dismay, Natalia's hopes were shattered as Ryan appeared from behind the sliding metal doors. The two met in the hallway, his instant movement toward Natalia in an embrace.

"Hi," he whispered and gave her a gentle peck on the lips.

"Really, Ryan. You don't have to be here," Natalia pleaded. "We have enough people working the case, and besides, you should really be off." Ryan glanced at her offensively.

"I'm fine, 'Talia. Honest. Sitting in that house is doing nothing for me," Ryan responded. From behind him was a quietly listening Horatio.

"Mr. Wolfe, I would assume you would have a lot to be dealing with right now," the red-headed questioned carefully as Ryan turned toward his direction.

"I have a few more days before I have to fly out to Boston, and the arrangements for the funeral are already taken care of," Ryan informed the two matter-of-factually. "Look, I saw the news, and I know with a kidnapping like this, you're gonna need as many hands on deck as possible."

Natalia's eyes pleaded with Horatio as he considered the idea. Ryan was right; they needed the help. But was this the case to put him on? The details were too close for comfort, and after suffering such a loss, Horatio was afraid Ryan might possibly go off the deep end.

"I'll stay here all day if I have to, and don't think about escorting me out. I know no one here would want to see that kind of demonstration." Ryan folded his arms intently and smirk a bit. After a moment, Horatio sighed.

"The moment I notice you taking this in too much, that's it," he threatened.

"Honest, I'm good. Really." Ryan's eyes pleaded.

"Okay, you can stay...for now." Horatio knew the moment he agreed to this he would regret it, but knowing he could keep a watchful eye on the young CSI eased his conscious a bit. As Ryan began walking back to the layout room, Horatio caught Natalia by the shoulder. "I'm going to go speak to Trisha's roommates at the college, so watch him closely for me, and keep me updated." Her eyes agreed somberly to his nod.

"Alright, what have we got?" Ryan announced as he entered the room, all eyes on him like a hawk. "What?" he sighed. "Guys, we're wasting time." Ryan's eyes shifted over to Calleigh instantly.

"The female's name is Trisha Belford," Calleigh began with a serious exhale. "She was reported missing this morning after calling in suspicious behavior from a van she was following."

"What was so suspicious about it?" Ryan asked in an analytical manner.

"She witnessed a bloody hand appear from the back of the van. She followed the suspect while on her cell with a 911 operator," Eric continued. "The operator heard the abduction."

"And the bloody hand?"

"Michelle Newbanks. She was DOA at the scene." Walter hesitated a bit.

"Any updates on Trisha's disappearance?" he questioned.

"We have men out in the field, some passing around photos, others scouring the streets around the college and the dump site, but no luck so far," Eric sighed.

Ryan chuckled a bit as he realized all of the crime scene photos laid out were faced down. "Someone going to tell me what's going on?"

"You wanna do the honors?" Walter asked directly toward the three other CSIs. Slowly, Eric turned over each photograph one by one, each movement revealing a cringe in Ryan's hand.

"Is it related?" Ryan asked after standing motionless for a few seconds.

"Doesn't seem to be," replied Eric. "Called it in, and she's still in jail."

"Good," Ryan replied dryly, "where the bitch should be. Last thing I need is someone else hell-bent on revenge." Ryan shifted his pressing eyes upward, quickly changing subjects. "Alright, I guess the next thing to do is to interview the families, right?"

Before anyone could answer, Ryan was already out the door.

"Are we sure about this?" Eric pressed the rest of the team.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Natalia replied, her gut hiding deep with her own emotions. "Look, I don't like this any more than the rest of you, but he's stubborn as a horse." As much as she loved that about him, she hated it as well.

"Natalia, he just lost his sister not even a week ago," Eric stated. "I don't care what he says, he's not ready."

"Well, I don't think it'll hurt for him to go question the family members, right?" Calleigh argued. The others nodded in agreement. "Alright, Ryan and I will head to Michelle's house to talk to the mother, see if there's any connection between her murder and Trisha's disappearance."

"Benton and I will get started on tracking the van if possible," stated Walter.

"I'll get to work on these trace samples from the first crime scene," Eric mentioned as he walked out of the room.

"And I will study these photos," Natalia reaffirmed then mumbled, "and try desperately not to worry about Ryan."

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**Hmmm, the team needs to leave Ryan alone! He's fine!**

**Yeah, maybe not.**

**I decided to assume that woman from "Nailed" is still in jail because it was attempted murder on a police officer, yeah? Eh, well...it's my story, and I say she's still in jail, =).**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello again, and thank you for the wonderful reviews! As mentioned before, don't hesitate to let me know what you want to see!

Disclaimer: I own nada but my life, my OCs, and my love for CSI, =).

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Chapter 4

Unable to lift her eyes from the fixation on the coffee table, Kayla Newbanks quietly listened to the officers explain the situation of her daughter's death. Tears of agony streamed down the cold skin of her cheeks gradually.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ma'am," Calleigh continued as the mother inhaled deeply, possibly trying to contain her emotions. "CSI Wolfe and I need to ask you some questions though." Calleigh looked directly to her left at Ryan. Both shared a couch across from Kayla who gently nodded her head.

"Was there anyone you know of who had something against Michelle?" Ryan questioned. Kayla shook her head intently. "No one you know of who she might have gotten into a fight with?" The mother continued to gesture a "no" when another voice came from out of the kitchen.

"She just broke up with her boyfriend," a young brunette man who looked to be in his early 20's stated.

"Steven, don't," Kayla quickly pleaded, now standing up, but her begging didn't help as the young man continued with his information.

"It was last week," Steven carried on, now approaching the conversation and causing the two CSIs to stand. "The fight was pretty big."

"Can you recall what the fight was about?" Calleigh questioned.

From the corner of his eye, Ryan noticed the pictures on the mantle. Engaging children in a pout of laughter was magically caught on camera in many of the photographs. Staring, Ryan noticed the girl in the picture, possibly Michelle, with light blonde hair drifting in the wind.

"Something about moving and dropping out of school for his job," Steven answered. "Michelle was going to major in chemistry." His eyes drooped down to the carpet in anguish.

"Do either of you think Steven would be capable of kidnapping?" Calleigh suggested.

"What? No! Why are you asking this?" The mother suddenly became very distraught.

"It's just that whoever murdered your daughter kidnapped a witness, and it is vital that we find her before this turns into a double homicide." Calleigh's eyes shifted toward Ryan's direction who was paying little attention to the moment. Hesitating, she continued to speak to the mother and son.

"Do you know where I can find this boy-"

Ryan began hearing less and less of the conversation as his mind recalled his childhood.

"_Reagan!" shouted a young Ryan as he ran down the street following his sister._

"_Ryan, come on! Keep up!" Reagan shouted back. "I wanna show you something!"_

_A couple minutes later, the two had appeared in front of an old and abandoned house. _

"_Reagan, mom wanted me to keep an eye on you, but you're making it really hard right now," Ryan argued before looking up and around the house. "You are NOT suggesting we go in there, are you?"_

"_Come on, it'll be fun!" Reagan insisted, pulling one of his arms to get him closer to the front door._

"_And what do you think mom will do to us if she finds out?" he reminded her._

"_Nothing, because she's not going to find out." Reagan winked an eye before pulling on his arm once again. "Now, come on. We're wasting valuable time here!" Rolling his eyes, Ryan followed his little sister into the house._

_The door hinges creaked liked a ton of broken whistles, the inside of the house smelling like burnt dirt. _

"_I don't like this, not at all," Ryan protested._

"_Ryan, how are you going to live life if you don't take chances?" Reagan peered down the halls as if she knew where she was going. "This way. The room is over here."_

"_How can I live my life if I die in this house?" he remarked back. "Besides, what is so important in this house that I would need to take a risk here? Can't we just risk the backyard?"_

"_Stop being a wuss," Reagan joked._

"_I'm not a wuss," Ryan paused a moment, "I'm just thinking logically."_

"_Well, your thoughts are too loud, and they're gonna wake up the homeowner."_

"_The what?" Ryan whispered his yell. Reagan began to giggle._

"_I'm kidding. Geez, how am I younger than you?" Ryan returned the question with a punch to Reagan's arm, which she winced at and rubbed._

_Slowly, the two continued their walk down the hallway towards a shut door. Reaching for a small pick in the back of her pocket, Reagan began to jimmy the lock. A sudden "click", and the door was open._

"_Yes!" she whispered as she pushed the door, the same creaks resonating as the front door. Ryan's petite hazel eyes widened at the discovery._

"_Woah, Reagan! How did you find this?" he shouted._

"Ryan? Are you listening?" Calleigh gently laid a hand on his shoulder, shaking him from the trance.

"Huh? I'm sorry, what did you say?" Ryan asked sheepishly.

"I said the mom isn't talking. Either she's too shocked to tell us, or she's trying to protect the boyfriend." Calleigh eyed Ryan dubiously.

"Can't imagine why," Ryan stated as both CSIs quickly made their way towards the resting Hummer outside.

"CSI Wolfe!" shouted Steven from the front door of the house, quickly running up to the two officers. "I'm sorry about my mom," he apologized. "She thinks the world of Michelle's boyfriend, Derek." Looking down, Steven slipped Ryan a sheet a paper with writing on it. "His address. Hopes this helps. Please find this son-of-a-bitch."

"We will," Ryan assured him. "Thanks." With that, Steven turned on heels to head back inside. "How long since Trisha's been missing?" Ryan asked now turning toward Calleigh.

"A matter of hours," Calleigh sighed and dropped the previous mental curiosity. "If this guy is a dead end, I'm worried we've run out of options."

"There hasn't been any ransom call or anything?" he questioned.

"No, this is really looking like a random kidnapping. Horatio already questioned Trisha's friends and family. As far as they know, she's the nicest person they've ever met."

"Let's have Tripp bring in this boyfriend of Michelle's, see if he knows anything valuable." Ryan grabbed for the handle of the Hummer door and briskly jumped inside.

"Yeah," Calleigh continued, "like where Trisha is."

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**I always thought Calleigh would have been the perfect replacement for Alexx as the team mother, so I'm making her the new momma, =). Read and Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey everyone! So sorry for not updating as quickly as I was with the earlier chapters! The dance studio Halloween Party took up my days! Anyway, I felt with tonight's episode airing soon, I would post a new chapter for you wonderful people!

Also, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! Continue and spread the story around to other CSI:Miami fans!

Disclaimer: I own...my mind, not CSI:Miami, boo...

* * *

Chapter 5

"Derek Gibson!" Tripp shouted from behind the closed door, "MDPD! Open up!" Hearing no footsteps from the apartment, the duo of Horatio and Tripp along with two patrol officers turned on their heels to leave. To their surprise was Derek at the end of the stairs. A new fire beneath him, Derek made an instant break for it.

"Stop! Police!" the two officers screamed as the bunch ran down the stairway. Tripp began shouting into his walkie talkie about the runner, making sure Derek would not get very far.

A patrol car stopped directly in front of him, causing Derek to roll over the hood awkwardly before slamming into the concrete.

"That is gonna hurt later," Tripp joked as he watched the officers haul him into the car.

"Horatio!" Calleigh called out as she and Ryan pulled up in the Hummer and jumped out. "What happened?"

"The idiot thought he could outrun us," Tripp said pointing the car Derek was escorted into.

"Calleigh, Mr. Wolfe, I trust you two to process his apartment?" Horatio stated under his breath.

"Sure, not a problem," Ryan answered confidently, energetically walking towards the apartment door. Calleigh eyed Horatio timidly before following Ryan's steps. Noticing the door still closed and locked, Calleigh searched for the nearest patrol officer.

"Officer Moore," she shouted across the way. "Please go get the manager to open this door up." The two CSIs waited patiently for the manager to arrive.

"So," Calleigh began.

"Huh?" Ryan knew she was trying to stir up conversation, but he wasn't really in the mood for it. _Just need to get through this case and the next couple of days_, he thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" _Way to throw the spotlight elsewhere_, Ryan thought. Instead, Calleigh glared.

"You weren't really there back at Michelle's house, I mean...you weren't mentally there."

"It's only been a day, and I'm already getting treated like I'm broken," Ryan mumbled.

"Huh?" Calleigh questioned.

"I need everyone to stop fixating on me," he replied.

"Ryan, wha?-"

"I heard you guys back in the layout room," Ryan continued. "I don't need your pity. Yes, my sister is dead, but I've come to terms with that, seriously."

"Are you sure you're not just using work as an excuse to not face the situation?" Calleigh had seen the signs before, wanting desperately for him to see it, too. She loved him like a brother, her heart ready to break to see Ryan in such agony all over again. Once was enough.

"No, I'm not," Ryan argued as the manager made his way towards them. "Now, can we drop it?" Without much of an answer, the two made their way in the apartment.

"Sure," she hesitated. "How are things with Natalia?" Calleigh's question was returned with a confused expression.

"Why do you care?" Ryan asked bluntly. His eyes didn't meet her's but instead began searching the present room.

"Ryan, I'm just trying to be a friend," she said returning the bluntness.

"Well, unlike you and Delko, what happens with Natalia's and my relationship stays out of the lab." _There I go again_, he thought. _She's just trying to be interested in my life and I chew her head off._ "I'm sorry," he stated. "I just really want to catch this guy, that's all."

"That's fine," Calleigh replied. "Case talk from here on out, okay?" Both CSIs returned a smile and began processing the apartment mostly in silence.

* * *

Derek sat in the uncomfortable chair in the interrogation room, his thoughts spinning like a rabid dog. His leg shook nervously as he carefully eyed the officer guarding the door. Horatio and Tripp glanced at each other before directing their attention back to Derek.

"Please, someone tell me what's going on?" Derek asked anxiously. He swallowed a large gulp before speaking again. "Is this about my girlfriend, Michelle?"

"Mr. Gibson, why do you ask about Michelle?" Horatio tilted his head slightly, his sunglasses hanging off the fingers of his right hand.

"It's just that I haven't been able to get a hold of her, and I saw the news about a missing girl, but I didn't catch the name." Derek shook his lowered head. "One fight, that's all it takes, and the family won't even inform you."

"One fight?" Tripp asked. "The way her family describes it, it sounded like more than just one fight."

"Serious, we had fights like this all the time! Now, can someone tell me where Michelle is?" By the looks of it, Derek was ready to burst a vein.

"I'm sorry to break it to you," Tripp continued, "but Michelle's body was found this morning abandoned in the Glades." As if energy was completely drained from him, Derek's entire body collapsed, his breath becoming shallow.

"She's...she's..." he continued to hyperventilate.

"Dead, and now you need to tell us where you stashed Trisha Belford," Tripp stated.

"Who?"

"Trisha Belford, the witness to your murdering of Michelle!" Tripp pressed.

"Murder? I didn't murder anyone! I'm innocent, swear!" Derek shouted defensively.

"Oh, so you were running from us for the sport of it? Moron, the innocent don't run." Tripp rolled his eyes and paced to the mirror.

"No, it's just...that...I thought maybe you found out..." his voice began to linger.

"Son," Horatio interrupted, "what are you hiding from us?"

"I want my lawyer."

Just then, Horatio's phone began to ring. Looking down, the screen read "unknown".

"Whatever it is you're hiding, sport," Tripp threatened, "we will find in that crappy apartment of your's." Flipping the cell phone open, Horatio stepped to the side.

"Hello?"

"Lieutenant?" the girl on the other side asked tearfully.

"Tiffany? What's wrong?"

"It's Trisha, she's here!"

"What do you mean she's there?" Horatio was very confused. _The kidnapper let her go?_

"I don't know, it was weird! I got a call from her at a payphone from the convenience store near the campus. I couldn't think of anything else, so I told the officers outside." From the other side of the receiver, groans and moans were shyly voiced. "They called an ambulance, but I wanted to call you, I just—," Tiffany tried to grasp for words but instead began to stutter.

"Listen Tiffany, you did exactly what you were supposed to do. I'll be there as soon as I can, you understand?" Tiffany whimpered quietly before agreeing with the Lieutenant and ending the call.

"Tripp," Horatio said, motioning the Texan out of the room, "Trisha Belford is at her dorm room right now."

"Seriously? What, did the kidnapper let her go?" _This case is getting weirder by the minute_, Tripp thought.

"Rally the team," Horatio ordered.

* * *

**This is one strange kidnapper...**

**R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **No reviews...it's all good. I decided I'm really writing this for myself more than anything...you know, to get the creative juices out and about.

Disclaimer: No owning CSI:Miami, darn it.

* * *

Chapter 6

"Uhhhggg..." Dave Benton grunted. He had been watching video tape of the intersection where Trisha began her phone call. One piece of surveillance captured the white van and part of its license plate, which was now being processed through the DMV with no luck.

"Still nothing?" voiced Walter from behind him.

"No, and I'm beginning to think this guy switched the plates." Dave rubbed his eyes and groaned under his breath. "What about Natalia? She have any luck?"

"That would be a 'no'," said Natalia as she entered the A/V lab.

"Eureka!" shouted Valera from the DNA lab, quickly sprinting towards the rest of the team. "So, you know that sheet that was covering the victims head?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Walter inquired.

"Well, I tested all of the biologicals on it, including a bit of bile," Valera smirked.

"So, the suspect threw up?" Natalia suggested.

"Exactly," Valera answered, handing the piece of paper to Natalia. "Four of the samples belonged to Michelle, but the bile? Unknown. It's not even in the databases."

"Get this," Eric announced walking in, "Horatio called. The boyfriend lawyered up."

"I think we might have cause for a warrant then," Walter declared.

"That's not all," Eric continued, "The missing woman, Trisha? She at the university right now. The suspect dropped her off at a local store."

"What?" Natalia asked scrunching up her brows. "Were there any witnesses?"

"The store was just out of the perimeter of the search, and it was during traffic hours, so..." Eric looked down at his cell to read another text. "Anyway, Horatio is on his way there question the roommates, and Calleigh and Ryan are on their way back from processing Michelle's boyfriend's apartment."

"My ears are burning," joked Calleigh as she approached the team, Ryan not far behind. "Here you are, Walter," she said handing him the boxes. "All logged in and ready to be processed."

Both smiled pleasantly as Walter began walking back to his own station. Briefly, he caught a glimpse of his friend behind Calleigh. Ryan's head was lowered as he rested himself against the wall. Walter couldn't seem to place the feeling he gained from looking at him.

"Calleigh, you mind accompanying me to the hospital?" asked Eric.

"Why?"

"Trisha Belford was released from the kidnapper," he stated as her eyes widened.

"Sure, of course." Calleigh felt a sudden buzz from her cell phone. "Damn it, I can't. Dr. Loman needs me down in autopsy."

"I could go for you," chimed in Ryan. He had remained quiet since their trip from the apartment.

"Uh, I-," Calleigh's eyes shifted indecisively. "I don't think that's such a good idea," she replied hesitantly. Ryan rolled his eyes with disgust.

"Seriously?" Ryan folded his arms in protest. "What's wrong with me going to the autopsy? I've done it plenty of times!" he all but shouted.

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's just—," Calleigh's voice began to waver as she saw Eric's pleas to head out.

"Calleigh, I'll go with him," Natalia offered.

"I don't need a babysitter, thank you." Ryan didn't mean to be crude, especially to Natalia, but the last thing he needed was to be treated like a child. He was **not** a child.

"Ryan, you know that's not what I meant-,"

"Okay, fine," Calleigh interrupted. "Ryan, just go. Natalia, go with him." She rose up a hand before Ryan could rebuttal. "That's an order." Silently, Ryan complied with Calleigh's decision.

* * *

An ambulance and fire truck stationed themselves on the sidewalks of the university, lights flashing melodically against each other. Students and passersby stared in interest to what had occurred.

"Ms. Belford?" Horatio asked the female situated on the gurney, soon to be pulled into the ambulance. Only an incoherent moan could be distinguished from Trisha.

"Lieutenant!" cried out a frightened young woman from behind Horatio.

"Tiffany," he stated before she threw herself into a hug with him. She was trembling from seeing her friend in such a state. "Is she going to be okay?" Tiffany asked with her head buried in his chest.

"She's going to be taken to the hospital so they can check her out," Horatio stated confidently, though his thoughts raced as he wondered what Trisha really went through. "Where's Megan?" he asked referring to the other roommate.

"She's still in the dorm building. She's freaking out thinking the guy's gonna come after us," Tiffany uttered, her head now rising to his eye level. Horatio quickly searched around the perimeter, his eyes catching attention to an officer nearby.

"Officer!" he shouted towards her direction. Swiftly, the officer made her way over. "What's your name?"

"Officer Ashley Dane, sir," she responded.

"Officer Dane, I need you to stay with Tiffany and Megan." Horatio's answer was greeted with a shocked look from Tiffany. "It's going to be fine, Tiffany. Both you and Megan are well protected." Tiffany reluctantly nodded her as the patrol officer grabbed her by the arm to lead her away. Hastily, Horatio returned back to the ambulance which Trisha was being loaded in.

"Trisha, can you hear me?" he asked standing next to the gurney.

"Yes," she replied faintly.

"Has she been injured?" Horatio asked the EMT.

"So far, all she has is a nasty concussion, but her slurred speech gives us reason to believe she was drugged," the EMT reported.

"Trisha, it's going to be okay," Horatio stated returning his attention to the girl. "They're taking you to the hospital." The gurney began rising as the EMTs lifted Trisha into the ambulance.

Once in, Trisha cracked open her eyes and immediately began to squirm in the bed. Thrashing her arms around, Trisha pulled the IV out causing some blood to spew. She kicked her legs viciously at any body near her.

"Ms. Belford!" screamed an EMT, "you need to calm down!" Trisha would not hear of it.

"Let me go! Don't touch me! Stop it!" Trisha screamed over and over again.

"We need to sedate her!" cried another EMT. Seeing as they had no other choice, the EMT not holding Trisha grabbed for the syringe. Trisha continued her movement, becoming more rough and violent at the sight of the needle.

"NO!" she screamed, the needle rigidly piercing her skin. "Please, don't! Please, please, please! Don't do this!" Her eyes began to water up as the drugs entered her system. In a matter of seconds, Trisha's body became limp, her eyes drifting off to a dark fade.

* * *

**Review! If not, it's all good. Just enjoy the ride.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** So, I'm really enjoying what CBS is doing with Ryan's character this year! Absolutely amazing, you think? Makes me less enthusiastic about writing this angst for Ryan. Now I wanna write hero stories about him, lol. (Don't worry, I'm gonna force the rest of this story out, promise.)

As always, the reviews are beautiful.

Disclaimer: I own my OCs.

* * *

Natalia wheezed slightly as she tried her best to catch up to Ryan. He was walking a fast pace directly towards the autopsy room.

"Ryan, slow down!" she demanded.

"Look, Natalia. I told you I don't need a babysitter. I can observe the findings perfectly on my own," Ryan stated confidently.

"And I'm saying I don't care what you think. I'm coming with you and that's that," Natalia responded confidently back.

"Whatever," he said nonchalantly. Natalia quickly grabbed Ryan by the hand, stopping before the autopsy doors.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"God, I wish everyone would stop asking me that!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Well, can you blame us?" she replied. "We've been having to walk on egg shells around you!"

"I don't need any one doing that for me," Ryan shot back.

"Then maybe you should just open up and talk!" Natalia's voice shook a bit. "Just tell us what's really wrong. Is it about your sister? About the funeral?"

"No, it's not about the funeral," Ryan shifted his eyes back to the autopsy doors, his hands rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then what? Ryan, talk to me!" Natalia desperately stated.

"It's just that Reagan-," he stopped and caught his thoughts.

"What? What about Reagan?"

"She...she," Ryan began to stutter. "Forget it. Can we just forget it?"

"Ryan," Natalia pleaded as Ryan entered the autopsy room, the doors swinging open to Dr. Loman hovering over the victim. Not looking back at Natalia, Ryan stood directly across from the doctor.

"Ryan, I thought Calleigh was coming down," he asked inquisitively.

"She accompanied Eric to the hospital. Trisha Belford was released from the kidnapper," Natalia answered, joining Ryan along side.

"Well," Dr. Loman replied bobbing his head side to side, "once again, I am left in the dark."

"I know the feeling," replied Natalia, her eyes shifting towards Ryan before returning back to the body. "So, do you have the official COD?"

"Exsanguination due to multiple stab wounds," Tom reported then sighed. "I also ran a rape kit with her. Sadly, there **were** signs of trauma." The doctor reached for the evidence to hand to Natalia.

"Where are the nails?" Ryan asked. "Hoping maybe we could get some fingerprints off of them." Tom reached over again with the nails in an evidence bag.

"Those nails were rusty as hell. If the killer caught himself on them, he would have one nasty infection soon. I mean, that is if he didn't get inoculated for tetanus." The buzzing from Natalia's cell phone caught the attention of the room. As Natalia answered, Ryan involuntarily stared back at the body.

"_Reports of the coroner state that the injuries she suffered from the stab wounds were minimal," stated Dr. Mercier as she read off Reagan's chart._

"_Minimal?" Ryan echoed in confusion. "I don't understand."_

"_Well, according to the autopsy, she was fighting off an infection, probably from those wounds. If her immune system was down, it would have been hard for her body to heal itself, especially after suffering such a trauma." _

"Great, thank you, Calleigh," Natalia said before hanging up. "Apparently Trisha had some kind of anxiety attack on her way to the hospital. They had to sedate her, so she won't be ready for questioning until tomorrow morning."

"Perfect," Ryan retorted irritatedly. "Now what?"

"Leave this evidence to the night shift," she stated as they left Dr. Loman.

"I can go a couple more hours." Ryan's assurance frightened Natalia.

"No," she declared. "We need to come back to this with fresh eyes and minds." As Natalia walked away, Ryan caught her hand and entangled his fingers with her's, swinging her back towards his direction.

"I'm sorry," Ryan confessed, bringing the captured hands up to his view. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's fine," she replied. "I know you're under a lot of stress. But, Ryan, please," Natalia touched his chin and raised it up, "remember that I'm here to listen to anything, okay?"

"I know that, trust me, I do. It's just this case is racking my nerves a bit," Ryan lowered his head back down.

"Maybe you should think about taking tomorrow off," Natalia suggested hesitantly, ready for another retaliation.

"Yeah," he replied somberly, "maybe." Slowly, he raised his head and stared into her eyes. "Thank you," he stated, bringing her hand back up to kiss it.

"Anything for Mr. Wolfe," she giggled lightly. "You gonna be okay? I can come over tonight if you want."

"Uh, no." Ryan released his fingers from her grasp. "I think I'm gonna turn in early."

"Okay. Call me," Natalia offered before leaving for the labs upstairs.

"That's _if_ I can sleep this time," Ryan said to himself before sighing deeply and following Natalia.

* * *

_"I thought you wanted me alive for this," Ryan asked still pointing the gun at MacIntyre._

_"You suddenly changed my mind." He began to laugh again. "God, this was all too easy!" He shouted. "When I found out you were the arresting officer, I knew I had to take revenge somehow, and I got to say it was a little challenging at first. There isn't much on you, is there? Barely any record of a family. Took me a couple years to finally find something, anything on you. But when I did, it was like fate wanted this for me. You, __**Of**__**ficer Wolfe**__, had a younger sister just like me."_

_Ryan inched a bit closer to him._

_"All I had to do was find the perfect girls to throw your sister's way. 'Jealousy, she killed them because she was jealous,' is what they'll say!" he said motioning his gun hand like a big banner in from of him. "It was a great plan."_

_One more inch._

_"But this is fine." MacIntyre chuckled once again."Say goodbye."_

_One shot._

Ryan's body jolted as his mind woke from its nightmare. His chest was hot from the sudden fright but his body cold from the sweat. Carefully, he slowed his breath down from hyperventilating, inhaling and exhaling through his nose.

Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he dropped his head down to his knees in defeat, rubbing his neck intently. A dim light of red to the right caught his attention: it was 2 in the morning.

"This has got to end," he said to himself, sighing then standing to get dressed. Making his way down the stairs, Ryan grabbed his jacket, wallet and other items before heading out the door. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well be productive.

* * *

**Good? I put a nice and sweet RaiN moment in there. Any guesses as what happened to Reagan? I'm saying bar fight, =).**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Got some really great reviews, but more is always appreciated!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it. I own Reagan and the random OCs, though.

* * *

Natalia, Walter, Eric, and Calleigh leaned against the walls as the elevator climbed the building. Natalia blinked her eyes open, carefully watching the numbers increase level by level.

"Oh, man," Natalia yawned, her arms stretching to each side of the elevator. "I am beat."

"Hey, watch it Boa Vista," said a refreshed Walter as he tried to dodge the brunette's lengthy arms. "Don't you drink coffee in the morning?"

"Yes," she mentioned.

"I offered to buy you one," replied Eric Delko, warming his hands around his hot beverage. "Why didn't you take up on it? Calleigh did."

"Thank you, by the way, Eric," chirped a quiet Calleigh. "Just a few more sips, and I'm a power house ready for this case."

"That's exactly why I didn't take you up on it. A case like this, I need the office sludge to kick-start my senses," Natalia exclaimed, stretching her arms once again.

"Or kill them," joked Walter.

"Seriously, Walter. The quicker we can solve this case, the quicker Ryan can let go of work for a while and take care of himself for a change." Leaning back against the cold metal wall, Natalia closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Do you think he'll show up today?" questioned Calleigh.

"Well," Natalia started, opening her eyes again, "I suggested last night that he'd stay home. I just hope he took it."

As the elevator door chimed, all four CSIs pushed themselves against the walls, briskly stepping out into the lab. Each one exchanged smiles and waves to the graveyard shift and signed in before heading to the locker room. Before passing the threshold, something caught the attention of Eric.

"Natalia," he shouted into the room. Eric pointed to the A/V Lab, Natalia's eyes following his path. "I don't think he took your advice."

His head in one hand and a notebook in the other, Ryan sat patiently in the lab waiting for the search on the computer screen to finish. Natalia could only sigh at the sight. Turning her direction toward the receptionist desk, she walked over and searched back a couple of pages of the sign in sheet, sighing again at her discovery.

"He signed in at 3 this morning," Natalia reported to Eric. "Should I tell Horatio?"

"I think we should talk to Wolfe first before getting 'H' involved," Eric suggested, then grabbed Natalia's arm signaling her back to the locker room. Both didn't make far in, this time catching the attention of Ryan.

"Hey, Natalia! Delko!" he shouted, arms waving to signal them to the lab. Hesitantly, both walked to his direction. "You're timing is perfect!" he exclaimed.

"Ryan, I thought you were going to take the day off," Natalia reminded him.

"I was, but I knew you guys needed me more. Anyway, I tested the nails already, no prints came up," Ryan continued hastily.

"What time did you check in?" asked Eric, hoping to hear the truth. Looking at his watch, he read 7:30am.

"I dunno, about an hour or so ago? That's not the point right now. The night shift finally received the video footage from the corner store that Trisha was dropped off at-"

"Ryan, you got here at 3am. Couldn't you have waited until Benton came in?" Natalia asked.

"God, would you guys just listen for a moment!" Silence finally ensued, both Natalia and Eric sharing an irritated expression. "As I was saying, the footage came in, and you couldn't see the kidnapper's face, but I got a clear sight of the van's license plate." Slowly, the two's irritation melted away, their eyes widening in wonder.

"Did you run yet?" Eric asked, astonishment in his voice as he moved closer to the screen.

"Just got a hit." Ryan crossed his arms confidently, rejoicing this feeling of accomplishment, something he hadn't felt in a while. Dragging his fingers along the panel, Eric clicked on the match to the number.

"That's not our van," Natalia said staring intently at the screen.

"Green Chevy Cavalier, 2001," Eric read off of the report. "The owner reported it stolen last week. Tripp's tagged this file already." Eric scrunched his brows, re-reading the rest of the report aloud. "Says the thief left red 'X' on her drive way."

"Red 'X'?" Ryan re-stated. "Is this gang related?"

"I'll call Tripp and ask about it," Natalia offered, gabbing her phone from her pocket.

"Hey, Frank? Have there been any car theft-related cases involving red 'X' tagging?"

"Yeah, actually," Frank replied. "The Basura. It's a car theft ring."

"Basura? So it's an hispanic gang?" she questioned, Ryan and Eric listening closely.

"Ha, they wish. It's just a bunch of guys thinking they're bad-ass. But then again, they've escaped conviction so far, some being detained for mere hours before being released again."

"Well, I think we finally got something to charge them with," Natalia proudly reported, winking one eye in the gentlemen's direction. "One of your cases you've tagged matches the plate to our kidnapper's van."

"Alright, I'll hustle up some officers, and we'll bring the ring leader, Sven Nelson, in for a little chat," replied Tripp before snapping his phone shut.

"Sweet, looks like we finally have a lead!" Natalia shouted joyfully.

"Good work, Wolfe," Eric said and patted the CSI on the back before leaving the lab. The remaining CSIs exchanged smiles. Natalia gently caressed Ryan's hand, following Eric's steps soon after. Turning back to the A/V screen, Ryan smirked, a bit of a bounce in his stance.

"I still got it."

* * *

**Aw, see? Ryan's okay.**

**Maybe... also"Basura"? I think it's funny, =). REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **OMG! So sorry for not updating! I just wanted to make sure I knew where this story was going. Thank you for the wonderful reviews! They made me so happy! For that, I give you a nice longer chapter, =).

**PS: **I upgraded the rating of this story to "T" because of content in later chapters. Figured I would give you a heads up.

**Rant moment: **WHO IS STEAMED ABOUT CBS's LACK OF REGARDS FOR THE FANS! :: raises hand really high ::

**Disclaimer:** Besides my OCs, I own zilch.

* * *

"Sven Nelson," Tripp's words stretched out accordingly. "Long time, no see. How's the theft life treating ya?"

"Det. Tripp. I thought you were done harassing me and my men," said the man sitting on one side of the interrogation room.

Sven Nelson was fair skinned with a dark-colored buzz cut. Tattoos and piercings mapped his body, including the word "Basura" etched on his left arm, a branding each of his men acquired. His smug smile echoed his relaxed attitude as he nonchalantly placed his steel-toed boots onto the interrogation table.

"I suggest you remove your feet from my table," Eric advised him from across the table.

"Scare me all you want. Your men got nothing on me, like always," Sven said, letting out a small yet noticeable chuckle. "You know, you got some real criminals out there! And yet, you come to hassle me? Pathetic." Eric exhaled sharply and reached across towards Sven.

"I said get your feet off!" Eric demanded. "And stop acting all tough. You're not fooling anyone."

"Hey, this…" Sven stated as he outlined his body with his hands, "is not an act. Full truth, baby!"

"Truth, huh?" Eric began. "Then you won't mind telling us about a van used in a kidnapping this morning?"

"It had a license plate from a stolen car with your name written all over it," continued Tripp.

"Hey, _Detective_, how many times do I have to tell you?" Sven leaned himself toward Tripp's direction, lifting a hand to articulate. "I don't steal cars! And even if I did," he suggested, leaning back into his chair, "you have no proof, like always. Poor Detective Tripp has never gotten to arrest me, boohoo!" Sven stopped briefly in thought. "Wait a minute, did you say a van?"

"Yes, why?" Eric asked.

"Was it a white van? With grates on the back window?"

"Maybe," Tripp answered. "Why do you care?"

"I, uh...actually had a van stolen this morning from my, uh...business." Sven's eyes shifted from one cop to the other. Recognizing a possible opening, Eric pulled out the picture of Derek, Michelle's boyfriend.

"Do you know this man?" Eric inquired, noticing Sven's eyes widening as big as watermelons.

"That bastard! I knew it! I knew he went to the cops, that dirty little-!"

"Wait, so you know him?" Tripp asked.

"Yeah, he _used_ to be one of my men, but now he's dead!" Popping quickly up from his seat, Sven began hurling himself across the table. "Tell me where that SOB is!" Officers hastily ran to the angered man's side, pulling him back with extreme force.

"Get him out of here!" Eric shouted as the officers hauled him out. "And put him in lock up for now!"

As the officers dragged Sven off to detainment, Eric and Tripp met up with Ryan and Horatio outside of the room waiting for an update.

"He ID'd the boyfriend," Tripp announced. "Time to bring him back in for more questioning."

"H, have you heard from the hospital?" Eric asked.

"As a matter of fact, that's what I came to tell you. Trisha is awake," Horatio stated. "I figured you and Calleigh would want to follow up on it."

"But then who's going to interrogate the boyfriend?" Tripp asked.

"H, I can do it," Ryan suggested spiritedly. Hesitantly, Horatio turned to Eric with questionable eyes.

"I don't see why not," Eric acknowledged. "I mean, if you're up to it, then—"

"Great, thank you!" Ryan proudly padded Eric on the back, walking off with an accomplished grin.

"Okay," Horatio began slowly, "Eric, let me know how it goes with Trisha. Tripp, let's go pick up a suspect."

* * *

Alexx Woods leaned against the nurses' counter, methodically reading from her numerous notes belonging to each of her patients. Sighing, she closed her eyes and circled her head around its base, a pop or two ringing in her ears. _I need a vacation_, she thought, _or a massage at least. _Her thoughts were immediately interrupted with a familiar calling of her name.

"Alexx," exclaimed the blonde officer again. Both eyes met, hugs instantly flowing together.

"My sweet child, how are you?" Alexx asked Calleigh, still in embrace.

"I'm okay," Calleigh answered sheepishly, her eyes motioning towards Eric as he caught up to their conversation. "We were told Trisha Belford was awake?"

"The girl released from her captor, yes. But you'll have to check with one of the nurses to see if she's coherent enough for questioning."

"I'll check, Calleigh," Eric offered as he made his way toward a nearby nurse. Once out of earshot, Alexx quickly turned her attention back to the female CSI.

"How's everything at the lab? I heard about Ryan's sister. He doing okay?"

"Yeah, he's…I'm not sure, but I'm keeping an eye on him, something you taught me well," she barely reserved a smile.

"And you and Eric? It's been a couple of months already, right?" Normally, anyone who would pry into Calleigh's life this bluntly would receive the slightest bit of cold shoulder followed by a glare, but this was Alexx.

"I'm trying not to think about it, you know? Trying to rationalize it right now would only hold me back," Calleigh confidently smiled, but her eyes said different.

"Okay, sugar. But you come to me at anytime, and we'll do lunch, okay?" Alexx squeezed Calleigh's hands tight while offering a gentle, motherly smile. Their focus was broken, however, by Eric's gesturing at Calleigh.

"We can go in," he answered, his eyes shifting in feeble wonder. He thought to ask, but opted against it, realizing it wasn't his place. Before following his steps, Calleigh gave Alexx a reassuring smile, her eyes in gratitude.

A cold breeze invaded Calleigh's body as the two CSIs pushed open the hospital room door. Lying quietly in bed, Trisha breathed slowly, her eyes closed from sheer exhaustion.

"Ms. Belford," Calleigh whispered quietly. Trisha gradually fluttered her eyes open, no smile or frown apparent, just a barren expression.

"You must be the cops. Here to ask me questions?"

"Yes, if that's okay," Eric asked, his voice wavering.

"I guess," Trisha sighed heavily, "I mean, I'm not sure how much I can help. I never even saw him."

"Just start from the beginning," Calleigh encouraged. "You called 9-1-1. Do you remember that?"

"No, I remember waking up in a room… It was dark," she began, closing her eyes to form an image in her mind, "I had a blindfold on me," she continued, sensing the ghostly feeling from her face.

"Do you remember any smells? Was the room cold?" Eric asked.

"_Hello?"_

"No, it was warm, sticky almost. I could smell the blood in my hair."

"_Hello? I can hear you breathing."_

"_I'm so sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen!"screamed a lowly male voice, weak in nature._

"He kept apologizing," Trisha continued, quickly shooting open her eyes again. "He kept mentioning how much he loved her and didn't mean for her to get hurt." Looking to her left, Trisha rubbed her arm woefully. "That's when he drugged me. The next thing I know, I'm being thrown out on the curb."

"Sounds like someone close to her," Calleigh suggested. "Trisha, we were wondering if maybe you would be willing to come down to the station and possibly identify your captor's voice."

"I don't know," Trisha hesitated, tears threatening to flow. "I just want this to be over."

"Trust me, it will," Eric reassured her, "once we put this man away…for good." Reluctantly, Trisha nodded her head slowly. Both CSIs smiled before heading out of the room together.

"She's strong," Eric finally voiced. "Terrified, but strong." Calleigh silently agreed as they made their way back towards the elevator. "So, what were you and Alexx talking about?"

"Oh, she's just worried about Ryan," Calleigh replied. "Where is he anyway?"

"He stayed behind to interrogate Derek Gibson."

"Do you think that was wise?" Calleigh questioned.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out when we get back."

* * *

**Okay, so not much Ryan in this one, but I felt it was a necessary chapter for the case itself. I also felt like mentioning the HipHugger fiasco that is currently being ignored. It's only human for it to be a little awkward if you still have to work with your ex! (at least, IMHO)**

**Anyway, Read and Review! Much love!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Hello! Decided to post a new chapter! Here's hoping you like it!

Disclaimer: No rights, damn...

BUT! Before you continue on, I want to share this from . She made such a great point about reviewing stories in her story "Breaking lives down to their knees." There are SO MANY WONDERFUL stories I have read on this CSI:Miami that have gotten very little reviews. Here are her words...

**I wanna say something. Chapter One has been up for two days now. As of now, 121 have apparently read it. I wanna say thank you. I also wanna say thank you to the people who have added the story to their alert list. But what I noticed is that I haven't got a single review. Now, I'm not one of those who goes "IF you don't review, I'm not gonna continue on this story", because I think that's insulting. Still, I'm wondering why don't I get at least some. I think I can say completely objectively that the story is not bad. It might not be the best piece ever written, but it's definitely better than those stories that do get a 1000 reviews saying "Don't ever dare to write again!" I don't wanna beg or anything, I just feel that you as readers if you like a story should give at least a bit of feedbck to all the writers (not only me) that do take their time to research and write for their own and for YOUR entertainment. Not reviewing will probably make some of those writers just discontinue a story, and I think nobody would like that. Join the review revolution like I did. **

So, in conclusion, go read and review as many stories as you can! These authors do this for free! Out of the goodness and love of their heart! You owe them a review...

* * *

"So, Derek," Ryan began, trying his best to ignore the smug lawyer sitting next to Derek, "sounds like you've been holding back from us."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," he responded, eyes desperately shifting from Ryan to Horatio. Quickly, his lawyer gripped Derek by shoulder.

"Gibson, not a word," he advised.

"You," Ryan stated, snapping and pointing his finger at the lawyer, "zip it. Derek," he said adjusting his attention back, "we met your boss." In confusion, Derek scrunched up his brows.

"You did?"

"Oh, yeah," Ryan continued complacently, "and we caught you red-handed. A car theft ring? That takes guts."

"You mean Sven?"

"Yeah, who did you think I meant?" Curiously, Ryan was met with no answer, but he didn't care.

From the back of the room, Horatio began to notice Derek's uneasiness and shifting within his seat. His eyes, however, crucially focused on Horatio. Most criminals during interrogation mimicked the guilt of a teenager caught sneaking in after curfew. Derek was hiding something, but not out of guilt.

"So, your girlfriend, Michelle-"Ryan stated.

"Fiancé," he corrected. "Michelle and I were to be married."

"Girlfriend, fiancé, it doesn't matter because she found out about your little hidden criminal life, didn't she?" Ryan could feel the words spilling out with no control.

"No, that's not it at all," Derek pressed, his lawyer continuously attempting to quiet his client.

"Actually, I think that's EXACTLY it. She found out, and you needed to shut her up!"

"Mr. Wolfe, that's enough," Horatio implored, but Ryan ignored his request.

"You didn't want your little secret to get out!" Ryan was moving dangerously closer towards Derek.

"No, I didn't. I mean, that's not what happened!"

"It is, Derek! You needed her quiet, so you stabbed her and dumped her body in the Everglades!"

"No, no no no." Grabbing his ears, Derek shook his head in shock.

"But first you nailed her eyes shut!"

"No! I didn't kill her, I swear!" Derek's eye pleaded with Horatio to save him.

"Don't look at him," Ryan threatened. "No one is going to help you. Just confess! Admit that you were hiding your lowly despicable criminal life from her!"

"I wasn't hiding anything from Michelle!"

"Don't lie to me, Derek!"

"I'm not! She knew I was undercover!"

Slightly shocked, Ryan grasped for his words.

"Excuse me? Pulling the cop card? **I don't believe you.**"

"It's the truth, Lieutenant!" Derek cried out, looking back at Horatio, "please, my real name is Derek Benson. I was undercover in the gang. Please, you have to believe me."

"Well," Ryan interrupted, "I don't!" By now, Ryan was around the table, ready to lift Derek by the collar of his shirt.

"Mr. Wolfe, I said enough!" Horatio exclaimed, rushing in between the two. "Leave," he demanded, eyes locked with Ryan's, "now."

"But-!"

"I said," Horatio growled beneath his breath, "now." Without a word, Ryan stormed out of the interrogation room, ragingly pushing open the doors.

Turning back, Horatio focused his attention to Derek.

"Mr. Gibson... Benson. Why didn't you tell us you were undercover?"

"I went rogue from my department," Derek explained. "My superior wanted me off the case, said there wasn't enough there to lock up the "Basura." But I knew there was!" Slowly, he sunk his head down. "I just needed more time."

"You know," Horatio began, "I will need to check into this."

"Of course, Lieutenant. And whatever you need, a blood sample, hair sample...whatever. I don't care now if I get put to desk duty. I just want to be cleared of Michelle's murder. I would have never done this," he caught his breath momentarily, exhaling deeply, "I loved her."

* * *

Too outraged to wait for the elevator, Ryan climbed the stairs back up to the lab, his anger fueling his body. Making one swift move from the entrance to the locker room, he made sure not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Yes, H, he's here now," Natalia replied into her cell phone, stationed quietly in DNA. "Are you sure? He did what?" Solemnly, Natalia shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, I'll tell him." She discouragingly snapped her phone shut, took in the deepest breath she could, and stiffened her mood. Walking towards the locker room, crashes of metal echoed out, causing multiple lab techies to jump, Valera included.

"Natalia, what's going on?" she inquired, her body language unsettled.

"It's nothing," she lied. "Don't worry about it." Shooing Valera back into the room, Natalia continued her averse stalk towards the sounds. Once near the threshold, she sighed at the sight, Ryan punching his locker continuously before slamming it shut. "You know," she interrupted, "that locker never did anything to you."

"Talia, not now." Ryan dropped his head back in defeat, then sat down on the bench behind him.

"I heard about the interrogation," she commented. "Sounds like it didn't go so well."

"It was going great!" Ryan shouted, "but then H had to stop the damn thing." Shaking his head, he sighed then looked at Natalia. "It's not like I was going to attack the guy!"

"Were you?"

"No! I mean," Ryan lowered his head between his legs, his hands covering his neck, "I don't know. I really don't know what I was going to do." Natalia's bottom lip quivered a bit before attempting her next words.

"Horatio wants you off the case," she whispered. Ryan's head shot up like a bullet, his eyes piercing through Natalia.

"Fine. Whatever," he stated nonchalantly. "I have better places to be anyway. Don't want to be where I'm not wanted." Grabbing his keys from his locker, Ryan marched out temperately, heading directly for the stairs again.

"Ryan," she pleaded, her hand trying to grasp for his arm but failing as he pulled it away. Sighing, she reached for her phone, tears threatening to stream.

"Calleigh, I don't know what to do," she lamented as she watched him leave her sight. "It's Ryan. I-I think he's going to do something he'll regret."

* * *

**Oops, I guess Ryan pushed himself more than he could handle. Don't worry! It will all come together, honest, promise, and everything optimistic I can think of...**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** OMG, what wonderful reviews, =). Happiness, =). This chapter is more Natalia (no Ryan) but I promise there will be a heap of Ryan coming your way... and it's ALL GOOD...promise!

Disclaimer: I wish, but alas...I do not...

* * *

Calleigh sat quietly across from Natalia, listening intently while sipping on a cup of hot coffee.

"It was so weird, Calleigh," Natalia explained, "I've seen him angry before, but this was different. There was so much hurt in his eyes."

"Natalia, he just lost his sister. There's bound to be some kind of grieving."

"No, Calleigh," Natalia continued, adamantly searching for the words, "I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like there's something else there, something else he's holding back." Sighing, Natalia gained the courage to ask Calleigh her question. "How long has your dad been sober?" Surprised, Calleigh lifted her eyes to ponder her answer.

"A couple of years, I think," she replied hesitantly.

"Was it tough for him?"

"It was hard...for all of us," Calleigh paused. "You don't think Ryan-?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It's just-what he said-," she sighed again. "Am I reading too much into this?"

"Absolutely not," Calleigh reassured her. "You care about him, so it's only natural to worry."

"So, what should I do?"

"Find him," Calleigh stated bluntly. "Find him, and help him." Silently, Calleigh bit back her own thoughts of her situation with Eric. "He's gonna need someone there when he's ready to talk."

"But how? I mean, how I am going find him? He left, and now he won't take my calls."

"You're a cop, so be a sleuth, Detective." Both women smiled.

"Thank you," Natalia offered gratefully. Rising from her chair and heading out, Natalia stopped short of the door. "Calleigh, when you need to talk, I'm here for you, too. You know that, right?"

"Of course, hun." Calleigh smiled once more. "Now, go find your man. But be quick! We have a murder to solve."

* * *

After the commotion from earlier, Valera was glad to have some kind of work to keep her mind busy. Staring back at the centrifuge, she constantly reminded herself of her real job, her real duty; it was always to the victim. Still, she pondered, hopelessly concerned about her co-workers, her friends, and how could she not? She saw these people day in and day out, so it was hard not to care about anyone's well-being.

A beeping from the printer stirred Valera out of her thoughts. Walking towards the results, Horatio passed within her peripheral vision.

"Horatio!" she called out anxiously. "Results back from both the bile and the semen donor." Handing over the piece of paper, Horatio's eyes widened.

"Two different profiles?" he asked curiously. Valera quietly nodded her head as he continued to read off of the paper. "And none of them match the boyfriend?"

"Yup, which means...," Valera paused knowing full well Horatio understood.

"Thank you, Valera," he stated before heading towards his office. From the corner of her eye, Valera could see Natalia walking promptly to the A/V Lab.

"Natalia," Valera shouted to her friend. Slowing down her speed, Natalia approached the concerned lab technician.

"Hey, Valera," she smiled softly. "What were the results?"

"Oh, uh...both profiles didn't match the boyfriend. Looks like the killer had an accomplice." Valera momentarily bit her lip before speaking. "Are you okay? Everything alright with Ryan?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorta," Natalia stopped herself before blabbing more. "I just need to find Benton." Natalia began to head out, but paused and looked back. "Valera, thank you." Continuing her walk towards A/V, Natalia couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"Dave?" Natalia announced once inside the A/V Lab, "what are you looking at?"

"Oh! Sorry, Natalia. I was on my break," Benton responded sheepishly.

"Is that a cruise?" she asked giggling lightly.

"Well, yeah. I think it's about time for a vacation," he said confidently.

"I know what you mean," Natalia whispered under her breath.

"Anyway," Benton stated hoping to change the subject before he got into too much trouble, "did you need me for anything?"

"Actually, yeah," she said bashfully. "I was wondering how your capabilities were with tracking cell phones?"

"The killer's?"

"No, more like a department-issued phone."

"Really? Did we lose contact with someone out in the field?"

"When he's not answering my calls...yeah, I guess so," Natalia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, is this Ryan?" but Benton knew the answer and immediately began typing in information to track Ryan's location. Natalia sighed at the discovery.

"That's the address to a casino," she stated, her head slowly lowering. "Is it possible to see where he's been going the past couple of days?"

"I don't see why not," Benton assured her. Sighing again, Natalia thanked Benton then pulled out her cell phone.

"Calleigh," Natalia stated. "I was right. I need to go find Ryan. I promise I'll be back."

* * *

"Not a problem. Trisha Belford is on her way so, I'll keep you updated," Calleigh consoled Natalia from the receiving end of the call.

As soon as the call had ended, Trisha Belford, with her dorm roommates, Tiffany and Megan, wandered into the station, an officer accompanying them. Tiffany confidently held onto Trisha's hand, hoping the comfort would strengthen her to do the right thing.

"Trisha, thank you for coming," Calleigh stated warmly.

"Can we just get this over with?" she pleaded.

"Trisha," Tiffany said, "they only want to help. Let them."

"Yeah, Trisha, be strong," voiced the usually quiet Megan. "We know you can do this." With new self-assurance, Trisha nodded her head towards Calleigh, who then led her toward a back room. Looking into the adjacent room, Trisha quivered.

"Don't worry," Calleigh reassured her, "they won't be able to see you."

Random men walked into the line-up, Sven Nelson joining in for good measure. One by one, each man read off of a script: _I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for her to get hurt. I loved her._

One by one, Trisha shook her head to each reading. Her captor wasn't there.

"I'm so sorry," Trisha apologized, lowering her head in defeat. "I knew I wouldn't be able to help."

"No, don't say that," Calleigh said as they both walked back towards her friends, "you did more than anyone could have ever done." From across the station, Calleigh sighted Walter walking with Michelle's family towards their direction.

"Walter," Calleigh greeted, "Ms. Newbanks, Steven."

"Hello again, Ms. Duquesne," Kayla Newbanks greeted back.

"Walter, do you think you could escort Trisha and her friends to their ride?"

"Sure, not a problem," Walter then turned his attention toward the college students. "Miss, my name is Walter Simmons. If you and your friends follow me this way, I will show you to the officer driving you back to the campus." All three girls began to follow Walter out of the station.

"Steven, I don't want to do this," protested the mother.

"Mom, please. If you loved her, you will put that SOB away," Steven whispered under his breath.

"But, I don't believe Derek did this!" she retorted.

"Walter," Trisha stopped dead in her tracks, her back to the mother and son. "That-," she quivered.

"What, Miss Belford. What's wrong?"

"That's him, his voice," Trisha teared up. "That's the man that took me."

* * *

Ooh! I bet...you saw that coming! lol. No worries! I wouldn't do anything bad to Ryan. He's the hero, remember? =).

Kudos to anyone who caught the little "thing" with Dave, =).

Also, I figured I better explain why Trisha is out of the hospital so quickly. Well, if Calleigh can be in a coma, almost die, and then be brought back to life AND STILL leave that **same day**... then Trisha can leave with a little bump on her head. Just saying.

OH! And I felt like recommending a story. **BlindedBySmoke's** "The Miami Way." She's re-vamped it, and I love it!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm only hoping I get more after this one! (fear of lack of reviews pertains to warning below). Also, no one guessed my Dave Benton joke from the last chapter, so I'll hold my breath for now.

**Disclaimer:** No own...OCs only.

**Warning: This chapter contains... suggestive material involving Reagan, my OC. I cannot really say what it is without giving it away. So let it be known: YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!**

* * *

"What are you doing?" shouted a discontent man. Currently, officers were holding Steven by the arms, actively trying to take him to the nearest interrogation room. He was in no mood, however, to cooperate. "I didn't do anything!"

"Trisha," implored Walter, "are you absolutely sure that's the voice you heard when you were taken?"

"Yes, I know that pleading voice," she replied dauntingly.

"Excuse me!" shouted Kayla Newbanks directly at the officers, then turning her attention to Calleigh. "Ms. Duquesne! Where are they taking my son?"

"Mrs. Newbanks, if you come this way, this officer will take you to a waiting area," answered Calleigh.

"No!" Kayla screamed. "I want to know where they are taking my son! Are they arresting him?"

"No, we just need to ask him some questions," Calleigh persuaded the mother. "Walter, take Trisha to a waiting area."

"Did she accuse my son of something?" cried out the mother as she walked towards Trisha. "Listen, young lady! I don't know what you went through, but leave my son out of this!"

"Officers, get her outta here!" exclaimed Walter. As the officers escorted Kayla Newbanks and Trisha to different waiting rooms, Steven was hauled off to interrogation.

"Woah," uttered Walter, "this case keeps getting deeper by the minute." Calleigh agreed silently before both CSIs entered the room Steven was being held.

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Steven cried out, his desperate eyes alternating between Calleigh and Walter.

"Look, I'm not sure how to even remotely start this, so I'm just going to tell you," Calleigh stated bluntly. "Trisha Belford is naming you as her kidnapper."

"What?"

"Steven, can you account for your whereabouts at the time of your sister's death?" Walter inquired.

"Yeah...I, uh...," Steven suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his mind pondering the CSI's question.

"The quicker you answer us, the faster you are out of here," reminded Walter.

"Am I going to need a lawyer?" Steven asked sheepishly as he lowered his focus to the table before him.

"Is that how you want to do this?" asked Calleigh, realization setting in. He couldn't have possibly- could he?

"Yes," Steven answered definitively, grasping an inhale as he stiffened his composure. "I want a lawyer...now."

_4/15_

_Dear…diary?_

_I don't know what to call this. I'm only doing this because the rehab center is making me. Part of my "recovery". How stupid, I have nothing to recover from! I'm fine, I told them that. There is nothing wrong with how I live my life! … is there?_

Engine turned off, Ryan sat quietly, still re-reading the contents of the notebook. The busy commotion of the parking lot was no match to his concentration.

_4/16_

_Hello again,_

_It's me…Reagan. Why do I start off like that? I know who's writing in this. So, I guess I'm supposed to talk about my feelings. That's what the counselors told me. So, what am I? I'm content. I'm fine with how my life was going. I really don't care if I die tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure no one else cares either. _

_God! It's not like I'm using anymore! What more does this world want from me?_

He could barely understand why he felt the desire to read Reagan's notebook from her rehab days. There was so much anguish lined on each page. Now, he wished more than ever that he would have protected her from this suffering. Quickly, he jumped ahead within the entries.

_4/27_

_Wow, so we made…I mean I made a lot of progress today. I realized how pissed I was at my mom. God, am I pissed! Why did she do this to me? Why did she do this to Ryan? She screwed us up. They both did._

_4/28_

_I was told today that I hurt myself because I can't bear to see anyone else in pain, that watching my mom hurt others made me afraid that I would do the same thing. It made sense. And then I was told that hurting myself hurts others? I wanted to scream, but I just broke down and cried._

Ryan closed his eyes, failure obliterating his emotions. _Why did Reagan never tell me this?_ Ryan thought. _I could have helped her. But then, I wasn't really there for her, was I?_

_5/01_

_I can't believe I did that. I just... ah! I relapsed! I flipping relapsed! I didn't mean to, it's just...Why did he have to visit me?_

_5/02_

_So, I went to the hospital to get stitched up. The doctor told me I was lucky. But damn! This scar itches. I hope it's not infected, that's the last thing I need. I was always so careful..._

_5/04_

_Talked to the head counselor, Dr. Crowley, today. Said I'm getting a second chance, but one more slip up and I'm out. He also suggested I file a restraining order against John, but I don't know. I feel like that's gonna make him more angry. _

A sudden tapping on the passenger window broke Ryan from his reading. Looking up, his frown switched to confusion as he unlocked the doors.

"Hi," Natalia stated, jumping swiftly into the car.

"How did you find me?" he asked as he closed the notebook discreetly.

"I have my ways," she joked but then noticed his seriousness. "Dave…I had him GPS your cell phone."

"Now, why didn't I see that coming?" he stated under his breath. "Talia, this isn't what it looks like."

"Then how should it look? Because to me, it looks like you started gambling again."

"I'm not, though."

"But you have been coming here for the past couple of days," Natalia pointed out.

"Yeah, but not to gamble," Ryan looked back at Natalia's stone-cold expression. "Honest."

"Then what? Ryan, seriously. Just tell me what's going on," Natalia pleaded. Sighing, Ryan looked down at the notebook in his hand and grinned warily.

_I guess it's now or nothing._

* * *

**So, yeah... Reagan wasn't just a druggie.**

**No worries, you'll know soon enough why Ryan is at the casino, trust me! I just need to re-sort this story, but I'll try my damnedest to update by Sunday.**

**Reviews are beautiful, golden, enriched in flavor.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Hi, all. Sorry for such a long wait for another chapter. It took me a week to bring myself to write this and then a few more days to force myself to post it. I'm not completely sure why I couldn't bring myself to finish this...but anyway, I hope you enjoy a nice long and awaited update, =). Also, thank you for the wonder reviews. They mean a lot.

**Disclaimer:** I own Reagan and her problems. I don't own the movie mentioned below or CSI:Miami and its characters.

**Warning:** Mention of something down there. You've been warned.

* * *

Staring down at the notebook, Ryan continued to collect his thoughts: his sister, his mom and dad, home life... fast forwarding to now, Ryan mentally smiled at the wonder of his life. How did he manage to be dealt such a great adopted family? A family willing to track him down via cell phone? Ryan feared he didn't deserve such a gift, especially after letting his sister, his own flesh and blood, go through the horror she did. Sighing, Ryan contemplated where he would start.

"Reagan was always an adventurer," he began. "Growing up, she would drag me to these abandoned houses on our street, always calling herself "a goonie." Glancing over, Ryan noticed Natalia's confused expression. "You know, the 80's movie?"

"Yeah, Ryan I've seen it," Natalia lightly chuckled.

"Well, Reagan said she did it to get experience for her great and many travels in her future, but in reality it was to get away from the house. Hell, any excuse to get away was fine by me. I didn't care where it was."

"Was it that bad?" Natalia interrupted. Rolling his eyes up in thought, Ryan lightly nodded.

"Our parents were...morons, to put it lightly. Don't get me wrong, my dad is, uh, decent enough for a relationship now, but then? Not so much."

"And your mom?"

"Drunk, what else? Her drinking basically drove my dad out of the house," pausing briefly, Ryan inhaled sharply, "to gamble, of course. When he saw my grades in math, Dad thought I could be put to good use."

"How old were you?"

"I think I was 14? Doesn't matter because from then until college, I went with my dad to his poker games, and we left Reagan by herself...with my mom." Holding back his watery eyes, Ryan attempted to resume his story. "We just left her there, and God only knows what that woman did to her!"

"Ryan, if you're trying to blame yourself for what your mother did-"

"Trying? More like succeeding. I abandoned her. I knew what my mom was like and her anger toward my dad, and I just left Reagan with that bitch!" Balling his fists, Ryan competed against his anger, struggling to cool it down. "Reagan never told me what that woman did to her, not even in here," Ryan stated more calmly, lifting up the notebook.

"What is it?" Natalia questioned, grabbing the book from Ryan's grasp.

"Reagan's rehab notebook," he sighed, trying to spill the words from the journal.

"From when she was quitting drugs?"

"No, this was long after, actually just before she came to see me," Ryan hesitated. "She-" he inhaled quickly, hoping to release the knowledge that was haunting him. "'Talia, Reagan used to hurt herself, physically hurt herself."

Silence ensued, Natalia unsure of what to say. Trailing her eyes down, Natalia reached for Ryan's hand, gently rubbing it with her fingers.

"It's just so frustrating! I could have been there for her if she would have just told me!"

"But that's the point, Ryan," Natalia stated, compassion sweetly spilling with her words. "Reagan could have told you, but she didn't. It's not your fault she didn't let you in. It's not like you could have forced her."

"But she knew about my gambling," Ryan reminded Natalia, "I told her everything that happened."

"Because you wanted to share your life with her. Listen, Ryan," Natalia gained her composure, "I'm not saying that Reagan didn't love you or trust you, but it was her secret to keep. When the time came, I'm sure she would have confided in you." Natalia sighed, looking down at the notebook in her hand. "Look at it this way: she was getting help for it. That was a big step in the right direction."

Smiling, Ryan peered at the entwined hands.

"Thank you," he said.

"Anytime," Natalia squinted her eyes, a thought provoking her words, "but you haven't answered my other question." Her eyes shifted around the parking lot. "Why here?" Ryan let out an exhaling chuckle.

"Oh, yeah... the casino. Well, when I first started Gam-Anon, there was this one guy there that made a great point about resisting the urge. He said, 'Out of sight, out of mind never works. It just tells your subconscious that you're being punished.' It's like a mom telling a kid they can't have the cookie. It just makes urge grow stronger."

"So, coming to the urge and facing it," Natalia stated, becoming aware of his approach.

"Exactly. It lets the mind know you at least have a choice, and my choice was to not gamble." Ryan smiled brightly in Natalia's direction, shrugging. "I don't know. It worked for me."

"I hear past tense in that sentence."

"Now, I just come here to reflect sometimes... and to remind myself of what I used to be like," Ryan chuckled, pointing at some of the men passing him by, one hand in a pocket and the other shakily holding a cell phone, possibly to call the wife. "I mean, did I really look that desperate?"

"Eh, something like that," Natalia began to giggle.

"God, I can hardly imagine it." Ryan shook his head in amusing disbelief, light laughter emerging between both.

"You know, you don't have to go through a crisis before talking to me," Natalia remarked. "I'm always here for you, even if it's just to talk. We are all family, after all."

"Delko said the same thing once," Ryan stated curiously.

"I know." Ryan's head shot up, his eyes gazing at her confusedly.

"What do you mean you kn-" but the look on Natalia's face said it all. "Damn. Well, in Delko's defense, I never told him he couldn't tell you."

"You could have come to me even then," she assured him, but Ryan shook his head in disagreement.

"No, I don't think I was ready." Natalia silently nodded. "That leaves only one question," Ryan stated.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Us."

* * *

"Valera!" shouted Calleigh from down the hall. "Can you run the DNA samples from the Newbanks case again?" Her heels were clicking rapidly as she appeared in the lab.

"Of course, why?" Maxine began reaching for her materials quickly.

"The brother," Walter stated, "was pointed out by Trisha as her kidnapper."

"You're kidding!" Maxine exclaimed.

"Anything but, Valera." From the corner of her eyes, Calleigh noticed Horatio approaching the trio.

"Calleigh," he began, "Are we certain it's the brother?"

"Valera's running the tests again, but Trisha Belford is adamant that it was his voice she heard."

"Which is weird, 'H," Walter continued, "because the DNA donors both came back non-familial to Michelle the first time."

"Party happening that I wasn't invited to?" Eric interrupted from behind Horatio.

"Trisha Belford named Michelle's brother as her kidnapper," announced Walter.

"You're kidding!" Eric shouted.

"Why does everyone ask that?" Walter questioned.

"Hey," Benton interrupted, peering his head into the lab, "you wanted to see me?" he asked in Calleigh's direction.

"Yes, could you and Eric look into Steven Newbanks' records?"

"The victim's brother? How come?"

"Our witness," she began, "named him as the kidnapper." Exhaling, Calleigh began to realize her exhaustion from repeating herself.

"You're kidding!" Benton exclaimed, causing everyone but Horatio to groan aloud.

"Okay, while Valera re-tests the DNA," Horatio began, pinching the bridge of his nose stressfully, "Delko and Benton will look into Steven's background." As Delko silently nodded, Horatio altered his attention back to the blonde CSI. "Ma'am, where is Miss Boa Vista?"

"Oh," Calleigh began, "I sent her out in the field, but I'll get her back if you need me to."

"Please do that," Horatio stated as Calleigh flipped her phone open.

* * *

Ryan remained quiet as Natalia took in his question, or rather statement.

"By your lack of answer, I see that you're not too sure," Ryan affirmed.

"No, it's not that. It's just-," Natalia paused. It's not that Natalia didn't want to be with him, she just wasn't sure how Ryan really felt about their situation. After all, they got together in the mist of his sister's death. How strong can their relationship last out of grief? There was no doubt in Natalia's mind that Ryan cared for her and vice versa, but did it truly go past the platonic?

The shrilling of Natalia's cell phone interrupted her from her thoughts.

"Boa Vista," she announced into the speaker. "You're kidding! But it couldn't have been Steve Newbanks. The donors came back non-familial to the victim."

"Oh, he's not related to Michelle," Ryan interrupted.

"Calleigh, hold on," Natalia pressed her hand against the speaker. "What did you just say?"

"Steven and Michelle aren't related. Steven's dad got married to Kayla Newbanks only a few years ago."

"When did you find this out?"

"Some time this morning. Something told me to look into him," Ryan started, "whether it was OCD or...anyway, he has a sealed juvie record."

"And you didn't report this because...?" Natalia began waving her arms to coax the answer out.

"I was kinda taken off the case before I had a chance," Ryan hopelessly smiled.

"Calleigh," she then shouted excitedly into the cell phone, "Ryan and I have a lead! We'll be right there!" Slamming the phone shut, Natalia's smile brightened more. "God, Ryan Wolfe, I love you-"

Ryan's eyes widened at these words...

"I mean your OCD," Natalia stuttered, her tongue beginning to twist in knots, "I love your OCD." Blushing, Natalia jumped out of the car to head for the Hummer. "Uh, see you there!" Smirking, a heated flush rose to Ryan's cheeks.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**There you go, lovelies. A nice long chapter. So, I couldn't help "The Goonies" reference. I'm addict of that, too. **

**From the research I've gathered, it made sense having Reagan involved in SI, but I hope I didn't offend anyone. I choose not to use certain SI words for touchy reasons. I also tried my damnedest to not go too much in Reagan's past. Hopefully the info I've given over these past chapters have painted a big enough picture of her, but this story is about Ryan and his reaction to Reagan's secrets. I wouldn't label it a CSI:Miami fanfic if it was all about Reagan.**

**Also, I know I made the other characters a little "stupid" in this chapter, but considering how Ryan was disastrously mangled and left for stupidville in Season 8, I felt sweet revenge was necessary.**

**Hopefully, you enjoyed it. Hopefully, you'll review. And hopefully, I will update quicker than 2 weeks later. Loves!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Hello again! Story is almost to the end! I'm seeing either 2 or 3 more chapters after this one (Epilogue included). Thank you to **SM-FA-RaiNtrain** and **BlindedBySmoke** for reviewing the last chapter. I was afraid it didn't sit too well, so it was nice to see some people were okay with it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CSI:Miami or the characters. I own the OCs.

* * *

Tapping her foot impatiently, Calleigh gazed down at her watch for the fourth time.

_Where is that woman?_ she thought.

As if her thought was answered, Natalia came rushing through the stairway doors, Ryan's arm being pulled, yet almost strangled by her hand. Quickly, she made a mad dash toward Calleigh's direction, ignoring the curious eyes from any nosey on-lookers.

"Go on, Ryan. Tell her!" Natalia forcefully nudged Ryan towards Calleigh, who was now leaning against a lab table.

"Wow, 'Talia, you are one for the dramatic," he joked. Lightly slapping his arm, Natalia presented her hand out to signal him. "Okay," he began, rubbing his arm, "Steven Newbanks and Michelle Newbanks are not related. Kayla and her daughter switched their last names after the wedding."

"So, that's why we thought he didn't match the donors," Calleigh said. "You think that's enough cause for a warrant for DNA?" she motioned behind herself to Horatio, who shook his head slightly.

"What if we got him to confess?" Natalia suggested.

"How?" Calleigh questioned. Shifting his eyes to each person, Ryan suddenly had an idea.

"'H, let me talk to him," he stated assuredly.

"After what happened last time, I don't think so," Calleigh stated bluntly, shaking her head.

"Calleigh, seriously," Ryan replied, sincerity radiating from his voice. "'H, I think I can get through to him," Ryan began, peering deeply into his father figure's blue-ocean eyes. "We both lost a sister, so I know what he's feeling. If he had any part in this, there is guilt there and it's waiting to explode." Darting his focus back to Natalia, Ryan comprised a humble smile.

"I'll vouch for him," Natalia chirped in, exchanging the small expression. "'H, I think— I know he can do this."

"Anymore outbursts, and it's a psych consult, do you understand?" Horatio threatened, his eyes shifting to both CSIs. Seeing their nods, Horatio glanced back at Calleigh. "Ms. Duquesne, let Mr. Newbanks' attorney know we want to meet."

* * *

Steven Newbanks clasped his hands together, rubbing them nervously as Ryan and Horatio carefully meandered into the interrogation room. Next to the suspect, Steven's lawyer, Jason Evans, sat disdainfully, one eye brow raised as he gazed and tugged on his trimmed cuffs. His jet-black hair was neatly combed, parted on the right. Looking up from the pompous pulling of his shirt, Mr. Evans' reaction to the two gentlemen became less than subtle.

"Excuse me!" he exclaimed, glaring at Ryan. "I will not have another one of my clients be harassed by this lunatic!"

Oh yeah… He's also Derek's lawyer. Careful not to show his guilt, Ryan stiffened up his body, mentally shifting back into CSI mode.

"Mr. Evans, I can guarantee I will be on my best behavior," Ryan reassured him as he bit his lip, smiling contently. He wanted to punch the creep, as he felt with most lawyers, but he held his composure tightly.

"Lt, I will not stand for this! CSI Wolfe should be on probation! With a temper like that-"

"Mr. Evans, I assure you, Mr. Wolfe has understood his outburst-"

"Outburst?" Evans interrupted, cynicism controlling his words. "More like police brutality!"

"Jason!" Steven hastily placed a hand on Evans' arm, sharply glaring at the hot-tempered man. "It's okay." Steven paused as he waited for Evans to find his poise. "Lt., CSI Wolfe," he stated nodding to each man.

"Steven," Ryan began, "tell me about your relationship with your sister."

"What about it?" Steven asked, furrowing his brows.

"Were you two close? Not? Mutual agreement? What?"

"We, uh," Steven stuttered, "we got along."

"You know," Ryan started, gazing down at his hands, "my sister and I, we would have these fights growing up about the stupidest things." Shooting his gaze back to Steven, Ryan focused on his eyes. "I'm sure you and Michelle have had your fair share of fights as well."

"Well, we **were** siblings," Steven stated hesitantly.

"Exactly! Sometimes, though, I would be so sure I was right in the matter…so much that I wouldn't talk to her for days. I just waited for her to come running to me to apologize." Chuckling at the memories, Ryan glanced intently at Steven, searching for a weak point. "Funny thing, she would somehow make it that she was right and I was dead wrong."

"I hate it when that happens," Steven mumbled under his breath.

"What does this have to do with my client?" Evans interrupted. Glaring back, Ryan sighed sharply.

"I'm getting to it," he commented. "It's even worse when you know you're right, huh?" Ryan replied back to Steven, shaking his head. "Like Michelle and that boyfriend of her's. Something tells me you didn't like him."

"Okay, enough of this," Evans erupted, standing quickly from his seat.

"No, it's not that," Steven assured the CSI as he grabbed his attorney's arm, motioning him to wait. "He just wasn't right for her." Exhaling sharply, Steven shot his focus back down to his sweaty hands.

"Yeah, boyfriends like that…she had her brother, why did she need someone like Derek?"

"I tried telling her that, but she wouldn't listen," Steven stated bluntly, slowly beginning to rub his hands together. "I told her what Derek did, how he wasn't good enough for her, how no one was good enough for her."

"What was Derek doing exactly?" Horatio questioned, noticing Steven's increasing uneasiness.

Steven opened and closed his mouth as if deciding whether or not to spill the beans.

"Come on, Steven," Ryan stated, "right now, you are the only suspect to your sister's death."

"What?" Steven exclaimed.

"We are done here!" shouted Evans, grabbing his briefcase from the edge of his seat.

"NO!" Steven exclaimed louder, pounding his fists into his legs. "I cannot go down for this! He said I wouldn't!"

"Who said you wouldn't?" Ryan replied, his focus gazing deeper and deeper into Steven's eyes. "Who are you protecting?"

"Jesus Christ, Steven. Shut it!" Evans warned, attempting to pull his client out of the room.

"Steven, who you are protecting sure as hell isn't protecting you from prosecution," Ryan threatened.

Steven held his breath, ignoring the pleading and advisement from Evans. Shifting his eyes, Steven eventually stared blankly at the back wall, contemplating.

"Sven," he mentioned quietly, almost inaudible. He glanced back down at the table where his hands were situated, confusing Ryan. Was he lying? Or ashamed?

"Excuse me," Ryan stated, carefully examining the suspect, "What did you just say?"

"It was Sven Nelson," he announced louder, shooting his eyes towards Evans who groaned scornfully. "We were only trying to show Michelle the real Derek! He wasn't supposed to kill her!" Pausing, Steven grinded his teeth, anger dwelling within. "This is all Derek's fault. I warned her what he was into! I told her about the stolen cars, the gang...I just wanted to scare her, get her to understand." He sighed, "that's when Sven approached me."

"Approached you?" Ryan asked confusedly. "Where?"

"At the house, my mom's, I mean. He was upset about Derek being tied down to anyone possible of calling the cops on his best man, so we agreed to trick Michelle there."

"To the "Basura" hangout?" Ryan coaxed, gesturing his hands about.

"Yeah, to show her Derek's "handy work" as Sven put it." Searching his eyes to Horatio again, he stood up hastily, knocking over the chair. "He was just supposed to scare her! I came back about 30 minutes later..and there she..Michelle. Oh, my God!" Throwing his head into his hands, Steven's words became mumbled. "What the hell did I do?"

"What happened next?" Ryan questioned. By then, Jason Evans had almost already given up of his client. Scratching the top of his once perfect hair, the attorney rolled his eyes toward the door.

"Not sure if any of that matters now, does it?" he asked arrogantly.

"Trisha Belford," Ryan reminded the gentlemen. "Why her?" Steven brought his gaze back up to the CSI, his eyes red and veined.

"By the time, I got back, Sven said it was too late. Made me drive them to the Glades so he could get rid of the body. He said no one would believe me that I didn't kill her!"

"I'm assuming that was your vomit then?" Horatio questioned, peering down at his entangled sunglasses. Steven's silence, his eyes trailing down to the floor, answered the red-head.

"I loved her so much. Trisha Belford was just a random accident."

"Where did you get the drugs to sedate her with?" Ryan asked suspiciously. Slowly, Steven Newbanks rolled up the sleeves to his long blue shirt, revealing needle punctures desperately scattered.

"Drug addict," Steven shrugged, his voice becoming quieter by the word. "Have been since I was 12."

"Well, I think we're about done," Evans sarcastically announced. "I guess you'll want to process my client," he stated, setting down his briefcase on the table to fold his arms impatiently.

"I would hang around if I were you," Horatio interrupted.

"When we're done with Nelson," Ryan added, "he might need an attorney, and so far you've been an excellent help with confessions." Smiling cunningly, Ryan motioned for the patrol officer to escort Steven to holding.

"Wait," Steven paused, his eyes peering desperately to the red-head and young CSI. "What about Derek? He's just going to get away with it?" Walking up slowly towards the man, Ryan leaned close to Steven's ear, whispering slightly.

"I would be more worried about the leader of the "Basura" after he finds out you turned him in." Smiling, Ryan pulled back, inhaling sharply at his next thought. "Oh, and in case you were wondering, Derek was an under cover cop."

Steven's eyes widened, his mouth agape with this new information. As if ice had hit him dead on, he stood frozen, his body being forcefully pulled out by the arresting officer. Turning back to the Lieutenant, Ryan's smile became more genuine as he shrugged innocently.

"So," Ryan began, his hands sliding into his pants pockets.

"You up for a raid?" Horatio questioned, a low growl under his breath.

"Let's go get our killer."

* * *

**So, for Christmas, I hope to get up to 50 reviews for this story. Help a WolfePack gal out? **

**K, so I know I have Ryan shift from massively depressed/angst to his joking self rather quickly, but I couldn't take the depressed Ryan anymore! I love him happy, =).**

**Anyway, R&R, thanks.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **OMG! I am just...SO SORRY! I really meant to update this quicker than before...BUT THEN IRISH NUTCRACKER HAPPENED! I barely slept as I helped out with Nutcracker...and then I was forced to dance in it! Then in all of that massacre, my car goes on the fritz and I ended up leaving it all the way across town for the night. Ah, the stress. Anyway, I completely apologize. I'll give you a "recall" in case you forgot what happened before. I've forgotten while reading other stories, so I don't want that to happen to you! Thank you to csimiamifreak92310, BlindedBySmoke, Maria020, SM-FA-RaiNtrain, and BlueDiamondStar for the awesome reviews! And to those who are reading quietly: love you, too!

**Disclaimer: **Damn it, I don't own it...but I do own my OCs! (Yay!)

* * *

_**Recall:** Ryan got Steven to confess that he was behind the death of his "sister" (by marriage) and that Sven Nelson was in on it as well. We also found out he was a druggie and used his stash on Trisha Belford. As Steven is being hauled off, he learns that Derek is an undercover cop. Got it? Got it! Good...ENJOY BELOW_!

* * *

"Yes, thank you," Calleigh ended the phone call with a disappointed sigh, turning to face the team. "The judge already stepped out of his office, but his secretary is trying to get him back."

"I guess all we can do is wait," Ryan began, crossing his arms thoughtfully, "and maybe look over everything again in case we missed something."

"You know," Walter interrupted, "we still haven't found the murder weapon. Or the nail gun for that matter."

"I'm perfectly fine not finding that nail gun," Ryan grumbled under his breath, receiving a gentle hand squeeze from Natalia.

Both peered down to the subconsciously entwined hands, a blank stare appearing in Ryan's eyes. Eric watched in surprise as the two CSIs gazed in each other's eyes hesitantly before hastily pulling the entanglement apart, Natalia's face turning a light shade of rose.

_What was_ that_ about?_ Eric thought.

"Well, with all the time this creep's been given," Eric started, breaking himself from the thought, "I wouldn't be surprised if he had gotten rid of both by now."

"Alright," Calleigh proceeded, "Eric and I will search the van again, and Ryan and Natalia will revisit the evidence collected. Walter, work with Benton and Travers, if you can. See if anything pops out on the camera feed."

"Actually, if you don't mind," Eric interrupted, his voice determinant, "Wolfe hasn't processed the van, yet. I think a set of fresh eyes could do some good." Eric quickly winked in Calleigh's direction. Shifting her eyes between him and the two awkwardly standing CSIs to her left, Calleigh immediately picked up on his motives.

"Okay, then," she stated. "Let's get to work." Suddenly, irritable protesting echoed through the halls of the lab, causing everyone to pause mid-thought.

"This is such bull!" the voice bellowed from the front of the lab. "You need to get him now before it's too late!"

Peering out of the layout room, the Ryan recognized the disgruntled man, Derek Benson, flailing his arms around as he continued his shouting at Frank.

"The quicker you get him, the better! I would know!" Derek shouted again.

"Look, I know you want the bastard in jail, we all do," Frank replied curtly, "but until we get a warrant, there's nothing we can do!" Derek dropped his head into one hand, rubbing his temples heavily. "We need to do this right," Frank reminded him, "or he'll get out on technicality. Do you want that?"

Derek quietly shook his head, slowly shoving his hands in his pocket. Sighing heavily, he shot his head to Ryan's focus, grinding his teeth mindfully.

Surprised by his expression, Ryan furrowed his brows as he studied Derek's behavior. Something seemed off, but he was unsure of how to place it.

"Fine," Derek suddenly answered, darting his focus back to Tripp, "do it your way. I'll see you crying in no time when that Son of a Bitch makes it out of the country." Turning on his heels abruptly, Derek stormed through the doorway to the stairs.

"That's not going to happen!" Frank shouted in vain.

"Ryan?" Natalia interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ryan quickly shot back his head into the room. "Who was that?"

"Derek, the victim's fiancé," he answered reflectively. He gazed down at the floor, contemplating the strange glimmer in Derek's eyes, a hint of desperation emanating.

"He seemed a bit upset," Calleigh continued. "Everything alright?"

"Uh, yes," Ryan stated, breaking from his thoughts to meet everyone's eyes. "Frank took care of it." His voiced waivered.

"Okay," Eric worded slowly, "let's go." With that, the team broke off with their prospective partners.

* * *

For the first few moments, Ryan and Eric remained quiet, placidly searching the vehicle head to toe. Every door was opened wide, the back carpet symmetrically cut out for blood processing. If the van wasn't at a crime lab, one would think it was stripped by gangs.

Anything?" Eric questioned, breaking the cool air of silence.

"No," Ryan answered. "My vision is becoming blurry just from all this staring," he stated with a low growl as he rubbed his temples. "This guy was good."

"Tell me about it," Eric said, still shining his flashlight under the front seats. "There's no prints, no smudges, no hair." Squinting his eyes, Eric shone his light toward a small crease in the passenger seat floor mat. "Wait a minute," he said, dipping down with a pair of tweezers. Pulling up the small, but efficient piece of evidence, Eric sighed heavily. "Here's to hoping this doesn't belong to anyone in the lab," he began, bagging the item, "because the last thing we need right now is contamination."

"Good eye," Ryan praised, snapping his gloves off and sitting. "Can't wait for this case to be done with," he stated, exhaling deeply. "With all its ups and downs, I'm actually excited for the boring paperwork again."

"Speaking of ups and downs," Eric began, "everything okay now?"

"Uh, yeah, actually," Ryan retorted, gazing down to twiddle his fingers. "Natalia helped me figure things out."

"So, you and Natalia…"

"Delko, not now," Ryan whined, briskly standing up to grab another pair of inspection gloves. Glancing back, Ryan noticed Eric's silence as a question and reluctantly answered. "It's…complicated."

"Complicated?" Eric questioned curiously. "What's so complicated?"

"She-," Ryan questioned whether or not he should spill what happened. It was only three words, a smallest of small moment, but it happened. As much as he loved—enjoyed hearing Natalia say those wonderful words, he still wondered how she meant it, or if she even meant it at all.

"She "what", Wolfe?"

"She kind of mentioned those three little words…"

"Oh!" Eric exclaimed, his brows raising high towards his hair line. "So," he started, now furrowing his brows, "what's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Ryan repeated, astounded he would ask such a thing.

"Well, you love her, too. Don't you?" Eric's question was met with silence, Ryan's face a blank, yet confused stare. "Oh, come on, Wolfe!" Eric threw his hands up before slapping them down on his lap. "You've loved her before you two even started dating!"

As if someone kicked him behind his knees, Ryan plopped down on the seat beneath him, almost limp. Did he really love her? His eyes searched the ground below him, wishing the answer was written in plain English then and there.

"Take it from a guy who knows, Wolfe," Eric started again, "if you know you have something good, take it now. Don't wait until it's snatched away from you. By then, you'll never forgive yourself." Eric inhaled, holding back the invisible tears ready to drip. If he couldn't have what he wanted, he could at least help a friend not follow his footsteps.

"Dispatch, we have a 415 in progress. Units respond to 423 Maple Dr." The fuzzy voice came from the walkie talkie positioned on the hip of a nearby patrol officer. Both CSIs listened carefully, thoughts slowly recalling the address.

"Hey, isn't that-?" Ryan interrupted.

"The address to the "Basura" hangout?"

"Shots fired!" shouted the voice from the walkie talkie.

Quickly, both CSIs shrugged off their lab coats and ran out the garage.

* * *

**Okay, so I don't know the streets of Miami, so I just made something up... =). The next chapter is pretty much done. I'm hoping to give this all to you before the New Year (cross your fingers...and your toes...and eyes...oh! and tongue if you can.)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: _!_** So, I'm laying in bed, listening to the storm rolling in, super proud that I FINALLY posted the next chapter when it hit me… I just gave the van to the team without explaining how they got it! :: throws hands in the air, paces disappointingly :: This is what Irish Nutcracker does to a person! I completely lost my story train of thought! Well, no worries. I WILL be explaining it…like in the next chapter, =).

**Disclaimer: **Nope, I don't.

* * *

Three silver Hummers raced down the Miami freeway, red and blue lights circulating on the CSIs faces. Blocks before their destination, every Hummer and patrol car silenced their sirens, parking just short of the warehouse entrance. Hopefully, they would be able to catch the culprits in the act instead of scaring them into bolting off. Running up to the hangout, a gun shot rang throughout the air, causing everyone to take cover.

"Just admit it!" shrieked a voice, the sound echoing through the warehouse, the halls acting like a bullhorn. "Admit that you killed Michelle!" Ryan recognized the deranged scream to belong to Derek Benson. Carefully, S.W.A.T. officers in bulletproof vests surrounded the perimeter, guns cocked and ready to aim.

"You'll never get away with this!" shouted back another voice. "I know you're cop!" The voice, though shouting, carried a low growl. It was Sven Nelson.

"Doesn't change the fact that you killed her!" Derek shouted back, glancing up from his hiding spot, a couple of barrels.

"So what if I did?" Sven retaliated. "I know you already turned me in!" He chuckled, a thought provoking his maniacal laughter. "I gotta say, Derek, or whatever your name really is…she was hella worth it!"

"You Son a Bitch!" Derek began shooting again in Sven's direction before ducking back down. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Back outside, the CSIs were strapping on more vests, readying themselves for entry.

"Alright, so S.W.A.T is trying to close in on them," Eric mentioned, still trying to secure his vest. Noticing his struggle, Calleigh grabbed the vest to tighten it for him. Eric nodded hesitantly, silently thanking his partner.

"Everybody ready?" Horatio asked, receiving an agreeing nod from each member. "Alright, head out."

The team then split up, Frank, Calleigh, and Eric moving east while Natalia, Horatio and Ryan snuck around the other side. Crouching lowly, Horatio and the two noticed the gun shots from Derek were increasing in sound. Quickly, the small team ran towards his direction, making sure to stay out of aim from any bullets.

"Damn it!" Derek cursed under his breath. Opening the gun, he realized the magazine was empty. His plan was running short on luck.

"Mr. Wolfe," Horatio spoke softly, motioning to Derek, the desperate brunette's back pressed against the barrels. Ryan peered around the outer wall in his direction and noticed the sweat dripping from Derek's face.

"Derek!" whispered the young CSI as he crawled towards the cop. Derek's head did a double take before responding.

"You heard him!" he cried under his voice. "He all but admitted he got rid of the body!"

"Oh, Derek!" sang Sven. "Are you outta bullets?" The gangster crawled out from his barricade and began walking around the warehouse, flailing his sniper gun around like a baton. "I'll have you know, then, I mean since I'm going to kill you and all," Sven laughed again, obviously not realizing the cops had already shown up.

"I did kill Michelle. Though, I kinda regret it now," Sven continued shouting, knocking over things hoping to find Derek under them. "Had I known how amazing she was in bed, I would have kept her around."

"S.W.A.T.," Horatio commanded quietly into his walkie talkie. "Hold your fire, I repeat: Hold your fire." Slowly, he crept up towards Ryan and Derek, leaving Natalia behind the outer wall of the warehouse.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are!" Sven shouted, his voice coming closer to their position. He kicked the barrels to the side to reveal Derek and Ryan. "Hello! And you brought a friend!"

"Make that two friends," Horatio stated, shooting up from his own set of barrels, his gun cocked.

"Ha! Like that little gun is going to scare me," Sven replied arrogantly.

"True," Horatio agreed. "How about two?" He motioned towards Ryan gun, now pointed directly at Sven's head.

"Close," Sven retorted, chuckling and raising his brows promptly with a smile, "but no cigar." He shifted his sniper gun towards Ryan and Derek. "You can shoot me, but I'll kill these two first."

Natalia watched in silence, her heart beating rapidly at the sight. Why was she scared all of a sudden? She'd been in situations like this before, even when she was with the FBI. What was different now?

"Two won't do it, huh?" Ryan asked. "We could provide more." Instantly on command, S.W.A.T. ran in behind Sven, his eyes widening at the amount of guns all targeted on him. Shaking, he dropped the gun and threw his hands up.

"Wow, you're not that tough," Ryan remarked, grabbing Sven's hands and cuffing forcefully. Turning him around, Sven's eyes met with the Lieutenant's.

"Care to spill more?" Horatio asked, now throwing on his sunglasses.

"One word— lawyer," Sven spat, turning his attention to his enemy. "You're damn lucky your little friends came to your rescue, you little joder!"

"Oh, my God," Natalia spat back from behind Horatio. "You're not even Hispanic!"

"So?" Sven replied, almost offended.

"Hey, 'H!" shouted Eric from behind the suspect and Ryan, "S.W.A.T.'s doing a search. A lot of weapons being found."

"Good, Eric. See if you can find the murder weapon while you're at it," Horatio commanded.

"It might be in his office," suggested Derek, gulping nervously. "He has an opening in the floor where he keeps his secret stash of anything."

"Hey, shut it!" Sven exclaimed desperately, sweat trickling down his brow.

"Officer, could you?" Horatio motioned to the patrol officer standing next to him. Ryan handed the gang leader off to the officer, turning back to Derek.

"Unfortunately, we need to take you in as well," Ryan regretfully said.

"That's okay," Derek replied. "You finally have him with a confession." He gave a sigh of relief. "That's all that matters. Michelle can rest peacefully now."

As Horatio and Derek walked towards the Hummers, Natalia wandered over to Ryan before settling next to him, her eyes a deep sadness.

"Hey," Ryan mentioned, bending down to meet her eyes, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied, shaking her head. "You think we got him?" she asked quietly, her head bowed.

"Not sure," Ryan hesitated, studying his girlfriend. "But maybe now we can obtain his DNA or even get some prints from a possible weapon." He paused, still not believing her previous answer. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes!" she shouted, almost hysterical. Ryan tried to catch up to her as she bolted away from him, luckily grabbing her left arm and pulling her close. Now seeing her eyes completely, he noticed the tears dwelling up.

"What's wrong?" he stated curiously.

"It's nothing! It's just—,"

"Just?" His eyes searched for her reply, darting back and forth between her beautiful chocolate orbs.

"I thought I was going to lose you!" she shouted, finally letting the tears escape. "This entire case, I've been so worried about you!"

"I want to take that as a complement, but something tells me I shouldn't." Ryan's voice was timid. Slightly worried as to what was going on, he stepped back reluctantly.

"I've never been so unprofessional in my life!" she continued. "I'm not supposed to be emotional on the job!"

"What are you trying to say?" he asked warily, but he was sure he already knew the answer.

"I just," she began, walking backwards as her hands trailed up towards to her mouth. "I just need space!" Pivoting on her heals, Natalia hurried her steps towards the officers and their vehicles, leaving Ryan to ponder

* * *

**I seriously get the sneaky suspicious that Natalia did more than just analyze things at the FBI...well, I like to think so.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Holy carp, people. My muse took a hold of this story and sent in places I never meant for it to be sent to. Eeash, okay. I know what the ending is...I think there are ...two? more chapters left after this? I don't know, maybe I should add in a random chapter to make it an even 20...let me know what you think, guys!

**Disclaimer: **Nope...

* * *

Ryan leaned against the wall outside of the trace lab astonished, two thoughts continuously crossing his mind. Too much had happened in the course of this case, but they were finally getting the killer...hopefully.

_Come on, Wolfe! Concentrate!_

Going over all the evidence in his mind, the van that Steven gave them after his confession, the possible DNA match to the rape kit, the informal confession at the warehouse and even the possible murder weapons they seized earlier, kept being pushed down to the bottom of the bucket by Natalia's words: _I just need space._

_Space? Why? What did I do? What didn't I do?..._

Discouragingly, Ryan collapsed head into his left hand as he rubbed his temples before combing desperately through his hair. It bothered him to think he didn't know how to fix this. His job was to problem-solve, discover the clues and turn them into evidence. He could do this for millions of civilians in all of Miami, why not for himself?

"Ryan," interrupted the southern CSI, "do you have the results yet?"

"Huh?" he asked curiously, momentarily forgetting where he was.

"Do you have the results?" Calleigh repeated, scrunching her brows confusedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ryan shot back quickly, pushing himself against the wall to straighten out his attire confidently. "There weren't any prints, but both items had biologicals on it, so I handed it off to Valera."

"Is Natalia busy? I would assume she would want to analyze the DNA," Calleigh remarked, noticing his uneasiness at the name.

"No, I just thought it would be better with Valera," he stated timidly. _You know, _he sorrowfully thought, _if Natalia wants space, I can do that._ Ryan sighed and looked up from his thoughts again, soon rolling his eyes in irritation as Calleigh silently waited, confusion setting in.

"I'll run the results down to you as soon as I can, okay?"

Ryan barely gave Calleigh a chance to answer as he walked back into trace.

Knowing she wouldn't get answer from Ryan, Calleigh went searching through the lab to find Natalia. She needed her CSIs in the best shape for the case, physically and mentally. Having a situation like this going on throughout the lab could put a damper on the whole case, and Calleigh wouldn't stand for that.

If something was going on, Ryan and Natalia needed to confront it head on and get over it soon before it affected nailing Sven Nelson.

* * *

"There you are!" Calleigh exclaimed as she meandered to the back corner of locker room. Natalia sat quietly on a bench, twiddling her thumbs. "Why are hiding?"

"I'm not hiding, I'm on break," Natalia stated curtly, her eyes fixated on her hands.

"But by yourself in the back of the locker room?" Calleigh immediately sat next to the quiet brunette.

"Not much for seeing anyone right now."

Sighing sharply, Calleigh became more and more irritated.

"Look, Nat," Calleigh began, "as your supervisor, I really need you to stop this act and get back to a better train of thought. We can not risk Sven Nelson escaping conviction **again**."

Natalia looked up sharply, her eyes wide. Besides the first case she was on as a CSI, Natalia had never heard Calleigh speak to her that way. In some ways, it was a bit degrading.

"What act?" she shouted defensively.

"Natalia, you're hiding in the corner like a 5 year old." Calleigh's voice was stern but friendly. She smiled as Natalia looked around herself in revelation.

"Oh, God, Calleigh," Natalia shook her head, quite embarrassed, "I'm so sorry." She rolled her eyes unwillingly, throwing her hands up in amazement. "God, this power Ryan has on me...what he's always had on me, I turn into a teenager!"

"It's because you love him," Calleigh pointed out.

"That's the problem!" Natalia exclaimed, "I can't do my job! I've never broken down in a raid before, but there I was freaking out because I love him too much to lose him!" Natalia threw her head down in her hands as it shook in disappointment.

"Oh, sweety," Calleigh chuckled lightly, rubbing Natalia's back comfortingly, "that's not the problem. It's great that you love him. Hell, I've been waiting to hear that confession for a while," Calleigh paused and smiled when Natalia shot her eyes to her in shock. "You just need to learn how to be okay with it."

"Really?" she whispered, her eyes softening.

"As your friend, yes. As your supervisor, definitely." Both women smiled lightly as they embraced in a gracious hug. "Now," Calleigh started again, pulling away from the hug, "I need you to take that loving energy and focus it on the case. I really need all hands on deck right now."

"You got it boss," Natalia said, briskly heading for DNA.

Continuing her insistent walk, Natalia stopped short of the DNA room, hesitant to talk to the person in the room with Valera. Though, she had a job to do, and she was going to do it. Stiffening up her posture, Natalia confidently walked towards Valera, barely eying Ryan as she passed him.

"I just want to catch a murderer," she said sternly as she shifted her focus to Ryan.

"Same here," he replied, throwing his hands up in defense.

Valera, standing between the two, darted her eyes back and forth wildly, concerned about the awkward tension.

"Okay, Natalia, let's get to work?" Valera asked more than stated. "I've already entered Sven's DNA into the system."

Looking at the items spread in front of them, the three realized the work they had ahead of themselves. About a dozen razor sharp knifes and regrettably a nail gun Delko found in Sven's office were ready to be processed. That didn't even count the previous DNA already entered: the donor from the rape test and the biologicals found on the item found in the van earlier.

Carefully, both women pulled out a knife each and began swabbing the sharp blades. Ryan watched as the two worked meticulously, admiring their detail to each piece of evidence. Some minutes later, the computer screen beeped, paper trailing out of the printer. Natalia sighed discouragingly.

"No match," she stated as she proceeded to pick up another alleged weapon.

Becoming more nervous, Ryan rested his mouth on his hand, the other arm crossed tightly against his body. It didn't really help, though, that the nail gun was within his view. Shifting his posture, Ryan closed his eyes, taking in a deep long breath. It may have been years since the incident, but that still didn't change the fact that it almost cost him his career.

"You okay?" Natalia questioned, eyes worried.

"Fine," he shortly stated, shaking his head.

"Hey, guys!" Valera shouted, holding a paper in one hand. "There's a match!"

Grabbing the paper from Valera's hand intensely, Ryan shared the results with Natalia.

"Alright, what about everything else?" Ryan mentioned.

"Hold your horses," Valera proclaimed.

Moments later, the convicting evidence was in hand, Ryan anxious to make his way towards the interrogation room currently holding Nelson.

They were about to get their man.

* * *

**So, how do you think Ryan's gonna give Natalia space? Also, I had such a temptation to write during the processing scene "cue the techno!" lol.**

**Anyway, I feel a little filler-chapter with this one, but it was necessary! We have a case to solve, gosh-darn-it!**

**BTW: Who saw the MMIH promo ! ? Gaw, I am SOOOOO excited... yup.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Okay, so I figured out the even 20! ENJOY BELOW!

**Disclaimer:** Still nothing!

* * *

"Ryan, wait," Natalia called out, running in his direction.

"Natalia, I gotta get going," he stated making his way for the locker room first, the evidence still in hand.

"What do you mean, you have to go? Aren't you just delivering the results to Calleigh and Eric?" Natalia continued to keep up with Ryan, who was now breaking into a sprint.

"I leave tomorrow morning," Ryan started, turning around to notice Natalia's disconcerted gaze at him, "for Boston." Quickly he turned back to his rush.

"So, your going to Reagan's funeral?" she questioned.

"At first, I wasn't, but now I'm thinking I should," Ryan said, now in front of his locker as he rummaged through it.

"But I- uh," Natalia bit her lip worryingly.

"'Talia, I thought you wanted space. I'm trying to respect that." Keeping his eyes on the inside of his locker, Ryan shoved his wallet into his back pocket and grabbed his keys before slamming the door shut.

"I do, I mean I did-" she stammered, unsure of what to say. Natalia didn't want to seem selfish; Ryan was going to his sister's funeral after all. Part of her knew he needed to go, but the other part wanted him to stay.

"I guess we'll talk when I get back then," Ryan suggested as he walked hastily towards the elevator. "But right now, I need to drop this off to Calleigh and Delko and then get home. I haven't even packed yet. I have a Eulogy to write...," his voice trailed off. He sighed and pushed the elevator button, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "I- I'm sorry I hurt you," Ryan mumbled, his focus drooping towards the floor.

Natalia stood there, dumbfounded. _He couldn't possibly think that he_-

"But you-," she stumbled.

"Miss Boa Vista!" exclaimed Horatio from down the hall. She turned to see the Lieutenant motioning for her to come over.

"You better go," Ryan stated, looking back at the red-head. "I'll see you when I get back." Ryan smiled gently, a twinge of sadness hidden behind his eyes. Exhaling firmly, he stepped into the now opened doors.

Natalia meandered over to Horatio, casually looking back as the elevator doors closed on Ryan.

"Report on the alleged weapons?" Horatio quietly growled under his breath as he starred down at his dangling sunglasses.

"Ryan is on his way with the report to Calleigh," she faintly informed, "but it looks like we got our guy."

"Good work, Natalia," Horatio briefly praised before retreating back to his office.

"I wish I believed that."

* * *

"Here," Ryan handed the paper-filled folder to Calleigh and Eric who were waiting as patiently as possible in the police station. When Ryan had called saying the results were in, Calleigh breathed a sigh of relief, hoping this evidence would finally put the Son of a Bitch in jail.

"Thank you," Calleigh acknowledged, grabbing the folder from Ryan's hands.

"Alright, I'm outta here," Ryan quickly said, making his way for the exit. The two noticed he already had his personal items as if he was leaving for the night.

"Wait, Wolfe," Eric exclaimed, "where are you off to?"

"Boston," Ryan said, his voice anxious, attempting to exit again.

"Boston?" Calleigh questioned. "So you're just running away?" Ryan sighed exasperatingly.

"Calleigh, it's not like that-"

"Natalia loves you, but you're too afraid to face it!" Calleigh continued to accuse.

"Calleigh, really. I'm not-"

"Why can't you just admit that you love her back?" Calleigh was trailing furious by now.

"It's for Reagan's funeral!" Ryan quickly shouted, hoping that caught her attention.

"Oh," she shyly said, truly embarrassed. Barely an hour ago, she was chastising Natalia for not paying enough attention to the case. Though, here she was now, realizing she was delving into the crime lab drama. "I'm sorry."

"I mean, I guess you could say I'm running a little bit," Ryan admitted, looking down at his fingers fidgeting with his keys, clearly depressed. "But 'Talia wanted space. I'm giving it to her. I don't want her to rush into a feeling she's not sure about."

"But she **is** sure," Calleigh reassured him.

"Yeah, Wolfe," Eric interrupted, "you told me yourself Natalia said she loves you."

"Until I know she truly believes that," Ryan began, pressing his eyelids shut, shrugging, "I can't believe it myself." He exhaled deeply, pausing to once again take that idea in. "Anyway," he started again, lifting his head up to their eyes, "I gotta go home to pack. See you guys in a couple of days."

"Okay. Well, take care, Wolfe," Eric stated, shaking the man's hand.

"And call us for anything, okay?" Calleigh warmly offered, receiving a cordial smile back.

Both watched silently as Ryan headed out the door.

"I don't like this," Calleigh protested. "There are just too many unresolved issues between those two."

"Yeah," Eric agreed, guiding the blonde towards the interrogation room, "but it's for them to resolve."

"It just hurts to see two people meant for each other be so far away," she whispered, bringing her hand down towards Eric's and entwining them together.

Both smiled.

"You ready?" Eric asked confidently, squeezing her hand tight.

"Yup," she replied.

* * *

Sitting on one side of the interrogation table, Sven leaned back into the uncomfortable chair as he starred at his clasped hands. He did not seem to be worried about his current situation and even waved the option of representation. Lifting only his cocky eyes to the CSIs, Sven smiled devilishly.

"Oh, a blondie," he commented with a swagger, "what happened to old baldy?" His eyes unpleasantly moved up and down Calleigh's body.

"We thought you could use a change of pace," Eric remarked.

The team, when deciding who would question Sven to the fullest, agreed sending in a strong independent woman might scare him into talking. The creep seemed to have taken advantage of women for a long time, always bringing out the worst in him, so a surely capable bullet analyst seemed to be the best choice.

"But we're not here to talk about that," Eric stated, sitting down across from the arrogant man. "So, no lawyer, I guess?"

"I decided you had nothing on me, so why waste money on a blood-sucking leech?"

"You could have been supplied one for free, you know?" Calleigh questioned, amazed at his lack of knowledge for being a criminal.

"Oh," Sven exclaimed under his breath. "Well, doesn't matter anyway. You can't catch me. I'm like the gingerbread man...only much sweeter."

_Gross_, Calleigh thought.

"Anyway," Sven chuckled as he continued, "give me your best shot. Everything I said at the warehouse was just to mess with dear ole Derek."

"Okay," Eric began, placing down a picture of a rusted knife. "Recognize this?" Sven leaned towards it before quickly pulling away.

"Nope," Sven smiled smugly.

"We found this in a trap door under your desk at the warehouse," Calleigh stated. "It has Michelle's blood on it."

"And no fingerprints, I bet. Besides, anyone could have put that there," he mentioned, crossing his arms.

"True." Eric then placed down another snapshot. "What about this?"

"A nail gun," Sven replied with fake amazement. "Nifty. I'll assume the bitch's blood was on that, too?"

"You are correct," Calleigh said, smiling slightly.

"But no fingerprints, right?" Sven laughed at their ignorance. "Steven, or even Derek for that matter could have handled that contraption."

"Calleigh," Eric sang, a brow raising, "we have a smart one here."

But little did Sven know, the two CSIs were saving the best for last.

* * *

**Aw, so Ryan's going to Reagan's funeral...sad. **

**What do Calleigh and Eric have up their sleeves? I bet you could guess that one easily!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **It took me a couple of chapters, but I finally figured out the difference between "starred" and "stared" :: forehead smack :: Thank you to **csimiamifreak92310**, **SM-FA-RaiNtrain**, **Maria020**, and **BlindeBySmoke** for the amazing reviews and awesome words!

Also, this ended up being longer than I suspected, so I just split it up. You'll now be getting 21 chapters! yay!

* * *

The two CSIs sat silently for moment, taking in Sven's pomposity. The quiet began to unnerve the criminal, in a panic at what might be processing through their minds. _If this was all they had, _he thought,_ they should have let me go!_

Sven stared in Calleigh's direction for a moment, hoping to bring her down as he did most women. Though, her composure was not like most women. She was confident, assertive but not too overbearing. Calleigh's fearlessness scared him as he broke from her piercing green eyes, barely able to make contact again.

"That's a nice diamond stud you have there," Eric mentioned, pointing to the earring pierced through Sven's left ear.

"Thanks," Sven acknowledged, placing his hand on the shiny jewel. "Kinda going for that 'Breakfast Club' look."

"Totally," Eric rolled his eyes. "Was it a matching pair, or did the jeweler sell it to you solo?"

"A matching pair," Sven crossed his arms, his eyes suspiciously darting from each CSI, always coming back to Eric quicker. _Why does he care about my jewelry? _

Calleigh smiled as she placed down the last picture of evidence, the same bright diamond.

"Hey, you found it! I'll assume in my office when you wasted the place!"

"As a matter of fact," Calleigh began, settling her arms on the table in front of them, "we found it in the van Steven handed over to us. You know, the one both Michelle and Trisha were transported in?"

Sweat began seeping unnoticed from Sven's body, his hands becoming clammy.

"So, you buy for yourself, or was it some kind of gift?" Eric inquired.

"Gift," Sven stated, eying Eric wickedly. "Truth," he growled under his breath as if ready to pounce.

"Oh, it was a gift, alright," Calleigh remarked, "only, it was Derek's gift...to Michelle."

His entire body language quickly changed. Desperately trying to hide his guilt, Sven gulped dryly, keeping his eyes pinned to the male CSI. _They know you're guilty if you can't look 'em in the eye!_ he thought.

"He bought them for her," Calleigh continued, "for their 5 month anniversary."

"So, the question is," Eric challenged, his eyes piercing through Sven like the earrings themselves, "how did you get a hold of Michelle's earrings?"

"Hold up," Sven chuckled, shaking his head with disbelief, "there's no way you could have found out these belong to Michelle!"

"Actually," Eric informed, "much like those cars you steal, diamonds have serial numbers on them as well. So, if we match that earring to the same serial numbers, we can place you in the van."

"So what?" Sven shouted. "I told you they were a gift!" his voice stammered as he searched for a possible answer. "Derek must – must have stolen them from her to give to me! And we already established that it's my van. I could have lost it in there the last time I used it!"

"We thought you would have said that," Calleigh stated as she nodded her head gently. "But that doesn't account for your DNA found after performing a rape test on Michelle."

"Ha, no way!" Sven waved his arms defensively. "I used a condom! There is no way my semen was on that bitch!

"So, you're admitting you raped her?" Calleigh pressed, attempting to hold down her smile.

"No- I. That's not what I said!" he screamed.

"Sounds to me like it was," Calleigh continued, lifting her brows up in delight.

"Come on, Sven," Eric pushed, standing up slightly from his chair, "you're already going down for attempted murder of a cop! You might as well come clean!"

"Attempted murder!" Sven's eyes boiled red as he violently kicked his chair back, causing the two CSIs to stand with him. "That Son of a Bitch! This is all his fault! I should have killed him and not her!"

Realizing his outburst, Sven tighten his lips and banged his fists onto the table, his breath becoming ragged and heavy.

"I should have realized he was a pig," he started again, holding in his anger as he stared at the table.

"When did you find out Derek was undercover?" Eric questioned.

"He was asking too many questions." Sven shifted up his eyes back to Eric again as he started pacing the room, still unable to look Calleigh in the eyes. "So I followed him one day and saw him inside with that family. I heard him talking to the lady about his job." Inhaling powerfully, Sven bit the inside of his mouth. "That piece of shit betrayed me, so I took something away from him. Saw her fighting with Steven and used his anger to my advantage."

"Why the nails?" Calleigh, now sitting, pushed the picture of the nail gun towards his direction.

"To send a message," he said flatly, finally peering his eyes on her, hoping to shed more fear into the woman but then sheepishly looked away. " That whatever he saw, he needed to keep his mouth shut!"

Eric and Calleigh looked at each other determinately, Calleigh gesturing over to the patrol officer to take Sven away.

"All he had to do," Sven whispered quietly as he was being cuffed, "was not report his findings to the cops." He continued his heavy breathing to try to calm himself down.

"He didn't." Eric smirked as he watched a distraught Sven hauled away to booking.

"I bet you wished you had that lawyer now, huh?" Calleigh shouted as the door swung closed. A brief moment of silence ensued, Calleigh sighing deeply seconds later. "I feel kinda bad," she timidly mentioned as she collected the snapshots from the table.

"Why? That bastard is getting exactly what he deserves."

"No, it's just that Tripp didn't get to arrest him!" Calleigh lightly laughed, Eric following suite as he presented his hand to her's. "Dinner, my place?" she asked playfully, a brow raised.

"Sounds good."

* * *

**Yup, this was an all E/C chapter, but only because we needed to bring this guy to justice once and for all! I must let you know, Sven is based off of my studio boss's husband...Sven, lol. **

**Also, the next one is full-on RaiN...so, as in the words of Scar: "Be prepared!"**

**And, awwww... look at that! Natalia and Ryan's problems brought E/C back together. Sorry, I really couldn't help myself. I'm just sick of this "love you like family" crap! Ugh...**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **Awesome, awesome reviews, people! I was little afraid the E/C-ness wouldn't take, but it's good to see it did! This is the second to last chapter, and I'm so grateful for everyone who stayed with me on this journey! (yes, even the quiet readers!)

Ugh, it's Thursday...3 more days til "MMIH"!

* * *

Shifty fingers nervously ran through disheveled brunette hair as Ryan organized his luggage for the fourth time that night.

"Two shirts, check." He looked back to the crumbled list to cross off the item. "Two pants, check. Black suit, check. Toothbrush, ch- crap, where did I put it?"

Running back to the kitchen, he lifted the TSA-appropriate bag full of bathroom supplies from the table. He stopped shortly, noticing the word "Eulogy" printed in Reagan's notebook, still waiting for a paragraph to form underneath. Grinding his teeth, Ryan pushed the notebook to the floor in frustration.

_I'm just gonna have to write it on the plane!_ he thought. _Unless I can't sleep tonight, then-_

The front doorbell rang, disturbing Ryan's concentration. Sighing in annoyance, he shuffled slowly towards the door, throwing the supplies near the suitcase. He peered into the peephole, a short amazed gasp escaping him.

_What the-_

"Natalia?" he exclaimed as he opened the door, confused.

"Can I come in?" she asked bashfully, her eyes barely making contact with his.

"Uh, sure," he opened the door wider, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wow, you weren't joking about not being backed yet," Natalia mentioned as she walked into his kitchen. Ryan shut the door and followed closely behind her.

"'Talia-"

"Oh," she lowered down to pick up the notebook laying lonely on the floor. "Do you need help writing something for the funeral? Because I could-"

"'Talia!" Natalia turned quickly to see Ryan's waiting eyes.

"Right," she replied and placed down the notebook, gulping first to collect her thoughts. "I couldn't leave it at that," Natalia finally admitted. "I mean, I couldn't leave **us** at that."

"So you didn't want space?" Ryan questioned curiously, sitting down on the back of his living room couch.

She mumbled, fumbling through all the words she wanted to say back at the lab but couldn't. _Get yourself together!_ she screamed in her mind. _How many times did you practice this in the car?_

"Natalia, I thought you needed it!"

"No," she exclaimed, pacing the room, "at least, not like this!" she gestured her hands between the two.

"So, then **what**?" he cried, throwing his hands in the air. "What do you want?"

"I don't know!" Natalia cried back, tears forming. "I've never been so unsure of anything in my life! But maybe that's the answer right there!" Natalia moved swiftly towards the male causing him to stand.

"I don't understand, 'Talia," Ryan stated, crossing his arms for control. He wanted to hug her, kiss her, anything...but he needed to contain himself.

"I love you, Ryan Wolfe," she smiled helplessly, shrugging her shoulders. "I think I always have."

Ryan didn't dare speak a word or even blink as Natalia continued her rant.

"The moment I met you in the lab hall 5 years ago, the crime scene I first helped you with... even when you lost your job and I helped you with the paperwork, the practicing at the gun range... I- I loved you even then."

"'Talia, I love you, too," he started, his heart breaking as her smile grew wider, "but, can you honestly tell me we would still be together if my sister hadn't died?"

Natalia's smile abruptly disappeared as she took a step back, startled. Her eyes searched for the answer, but she came up with none.

"I just-," Ryan lifted his eyes up to the ceiling, holding back his cries before looking back to her, "I don't know, either. I care for you so much, but it broke my heart to see you so scared, something I caused."

"But you didn't cause it!" she protested, placing her hands on his shoulders lovingly. "I was just scared of what I was feeling, that's all!"

"I can't lose you, 'Talia, but respect you too much to see another man hurt you again." Gently, he grabbed her hands, pulling them off of his shoulders to place in his lap.

"You could never hurt me," Natalia assured him, trying her best to bring his focus back up from her hands. He continued to stare, though, smoothing his thumbs over her knuckles.

"I really want to make this relationship work," he began, "but I think it should start on better terms."

"If that's what you want," Natalia whispered affectionately, bending down and tenderly kissing his hands. He said nothing, only nodding his head ever so slightly. "Well, in that case," Natalia took a step back and reached out her hand. "Hi, I'm Natalia Boa Vista," she smirked playfully. Shooting his head up at her action, Ryan formed a more cheerful smile.

"Ryan Wolfe," he took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Would you like to help me pack?"

"Isn't that a little personal for two people who just met?" Natalia giggled.

"I think we could make an exception," he offered, still holding her hand.

"Well, in that case," she smiled again, lifting up the notebook from the table next to her, "let's start with this."

"Uh," Ryan painfully groaned, taking the notebook from her hand, "I guess better with a friend than alone."

"Excuse me, sir. But we've just met!" Natalia shifted her body back suspiciously.

"Cute," he replied.

The two briskly sat down at the kitchen table as the loving words about his sister easily glided onto the pieces of paper.

* * *

**So, yeah. I kinda broke them up. But couldn't handle having them start their relationship off so...morbidly, lol.**

**No worries, I'll bring them back together eventually in my stories...just not right now! =).**

**Also...like I've said before...go read _BlindedBySmoke's_ "The Miami Way." K? k!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: **Well, here you guys have it! The ending of this fic. No worries, more are on their way! Thank you to my wonderful readers and to those who reviewed for every single chapter. Can we say "rockstars"? Also, thank you bringing the reviews up to 70! New record, lovelies!

* * *

**2 days later:**

The front door swung open slowly, Ryan shuffling his barely conscious body towards the living room couch. In one swift move, he threw his bag to the ground and laid flat on the couch, desperate not to move an inch.

Ryan's stare at the ceiling was brief as his eyelids gradually shut, his mind blissfully drifting into a deep sleep.

Then his house phone rang...

Groaning, Ryan blindingly searched for the phone on his coffee table with his right hand, patting this way and that before grasping onto the elongated object.

_This better not be work calling me in..._

"Hello," he quietly grumbled into the wireless phone, his eyes still shut.

"Hi, Ryan!" peeped a southern drawl.

"Calleigh, why are you calling me at midnight?" He quickly opened his eyes to peer at the phone display, agape at the 9 missed calls he had. This shouldn't have been such a surprise after not being home for 2 days; however, only his co-workers and his family, who he was with the entire time, knew his house number.

"Please don't tell me those missed calls are all from you?" he questioned, closing his eyes again.

"Well, your plane landed at 7pm, so you should have been home by 9pm. When you didn't answer, we got a little worried."

"We? You know what? Don't answer that." Ryan sighed exhaustively. "My plane was delayed, okay?"

"Oh! Sorry about that." Quiet mumbling was heard in the background of Calleigh's side.

"Calleigh?"

"Yeah?"

He opened his mouth to ask what the sounds were but decided to dropped it. His mind was so tired, Ryan just wanted to get Calleigh off the phone so he could go to bed.

"Uh, you never told me why you were calling," he asked.

"Can't a friend call another friend to ask how his sister's funeral went?" she asked sheepishly.

"Uh, sure," he replied hesitantly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "The funeral was okay, I guess. Both of my parents were there." Pausing, Ryan chuckled at the memory. "It was weird. My mom actually cried."

"What's so weird about that? A mother lost her child," Calleigh questioned curiously.

"You don't know my mother." He laughed lightly, batting his eyes to prompt them open. "So, how was your talk with Natalia?"

"Ha, what do you mean?" Calleigh replied innocently.

"Only two people knew when my plane landed, and I'm pretty sure Horatio wouldn't have spilled the beans to you." A smile appeared as Ryan listened to her stumbling over her words.

"I-well, it's just- Natalia wouldn't tell me what happened between you two the night before you left." Calleigh quietly blushed from the other end. "I just- I was worried."

"Well, if you must know," Ryan began, rolling his eyes with a civilized grin, "we broke it off."

"Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed, clearly disappointed. "Well, was it your idea? Her's? Mutual?"

_Not exactly mutual_, he thought.

"No," Calleigh stated off to the side, "No, they broke it off."

"Calleigh," he asked confusedly, "who are you talking to?"

"Um, Eric?" she replied shyly.

"Hey, Wolfe!" Eric shouted from the back.

"Eric? But why would he be-." Then the realization hit Ryan like a brick wall. "Oh! Wow, well... I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks," Calleigh answered with an undeniable smile.

"But even after everything that happened? You two were able to get past that?"

"Well, yeah," she replied honestly, as if the answer were as obvious as the hot sun. "We both love each other too much to be apart."

"Well, good," Ryan sighed with relief. Calleigh and Eric had been dancing around their relationship since the Stetler incident, and he was more than willing to see the tension finally fade. "I'm glad because you two deserve every moment of happiness shared together."

"A lot like two friends we know," she joked playfully, her voice ringing with a melody.

"Okay, hanging up now, Calleigh."

"Fine," Calleigh whined, disappointed. "We'll see you at the lab."

Ryan chuckled as he hung up, shaking his head in amazement. Setting the phone down, he reached for the luggage near his feet and began unzipping it, remembering an item he threw on the top last minute before leaving Boston.

Carefully, Ryan pulled out the manilla envelope, un-clasping the gold metal that kept it closed. Out slid a folded letter, the words "Ryan" neatly written on the top fold. Taking a deep breath, Ryan opened it and began reading.

_Dear Ryan,_

_Okay, so you'll more than likely NEVER get this letter, but I'm kinda being forced into writing this. The counselors said it's an exercise to get me to reflect on my life. I need to write a confession to someone, and who better than my older brother, right?_

_How do I start? Hell, where do I start? … I'm not in rehab for drugs...this time. I know you've been dealing with my problems, and seriously? I don't know how you do it. I'm..in for something else. Something I've been doing since I can remember. I'm not in Boston, and I'm not near you in Miami. I'm in Missouri for self-harm. There, I wrote it! Ugh._

Ryan set the paper down, rubbing his eyes troublesomely. When he had been told by his father that Reagan left him a letter, he was hesitant to take it. His father suggested reading it once he was home, Ryan more than willing to accept that idea. Exhaling, he picked the letter back up.

_You might be wondering "why" yourself?_

"Completely," he said aloud.

_Well, to tell the truth, there is no ONE "why". There were plenty of reasons why I started, mainly stress and shame. I couldn't bare to look at myself in the mirror and believe I was anything better than what mom thought me of. There's no need to go into details what happened between us. I've forgiven her, but she'll have a hard time forgiving herself. Please help her, Ryan._

_Now you must be wondering how you've been getting letters from me this whole time from Boston. Dad knew about where I was, and he also knew how much I couldn't stand to think of you being burdened with anything else. No, I never told him about your gambling problem... that was your secret to keep. Anyway, he would relay my letters to you and vise versa. Give him a hug the next time you see him, okay?_

"Already did, kid."

_None of this is your fault, please believe this. Just as your gambling was your secret, this was mine. Like I said, I couldn't bare to see you in anymore pain than I already caused you._

_Well, I think I've said too much already, =). Oh! One more thing. That Natalia girl you keep talking about in your letters: I know you two aren't together or anything, but she really sounds like a keeper. Definitely better than your last girlfriends. If I didn't know you were secretly crushing on her, I would say that you love her...more than life itself. I promise you it will be my job to make sure you catch her. YOU DESERVE HAPPINESS! Got it?_

_Eh, you'll probably never see this anyway._

_Love Always,_

_Your silly Reagan._

Ryan set the letter down somberly, his eyes dropping to the table in front of him. Shaking his head, his mouth formed a grin.

"You will always be my "silly Reagan," Ryan whispered under his breath. _'I would say you love her...more than life itself.'_ Frustrated, Ryan rolled eyes, smacking his hand to his forehead. "Oh, my, God," he exclaimed, "what have I done?"

Briskly, Ryan picked up his car keys and jacket, running for the front door and slamming it shut.

* * *

A constant pounding penetrated the cool silence that rang through Natalia's apartment, disturbing her from her sleep. Confusedly, Natalia grabbed a robe to cover herself as she stumbled to the door, the knocking not stopping.

"I'm coming!" she shouted. "Just hold your horses," she replied under her breath. As the door swung open, Natalia's eyes grew wide and bewildered. "Ryan, what are yo-"

Her sentence was stopped by the pressing of Ryan's lips to her, their bodies softening at the contact. Natalia deeply moaned in gratification, her eyes closing at their own will. Pulling apart for air, the two laid their foreheads against each other.

"I couldn't do it," Ryan sighed. "Just, the thought of being without you..."

"But what about a new beginning?" she quietly asked, her hand reaching for his.

"Screw it," he flatly stated, entwining their fingers together. "I'd rather take the beautiful and the ugly with you than without you."

A joyful smile shaped itself, Natalia's heart beating passionately.

"Would you like to come in, Mr. Wolfe?" she asked delightedly, bringing her eyes up to his.

"I would love to, Ms. Boa Vista," Ryan replied, his mind jumping in elation as they both closed the door together.

* * *

**Lol, I couldn't do it! I like them together! Though, for any fics placed after this one, I'm going to have them keep their relationship a secret. Not like the HipHuggers kinda secret the show did but more like a playful, sneaking around, trying not to get caught by the co-workers kinda secrecy, lol.**

**Anyway, once again: thank you so much for staying with this fic! I never intended it to go past 15 chapters, but your dedication made it possible. For a treat, I'm giving you a hint into my next multi-chap... "Christmas Angel"? Try "Stupid Cupid."**


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